Love Around (2013)

OMG...the writers totally ruined this drama with the extension. I was ranking this around an 8 until episode 13ish. I love melodramas, but occasionally I like fluffy romance dramas. I chose this drama because I thought it would be a lovely romance. I was so disappointed. It starts with a little bickering between the leads that quickly changes to sweet slow romance. Then left turn to stupid. Then there is all the inconsequential side stories. I also hate that at the end they used the narrator voice instead of using the last "extended" episodes to actually develop the characters and story. Anyway, I can't go into it with out spoilers.

The actors are good. George as Zhou Zhen and Annie as Xiao Shu are good actors and have great chemistry together. Too bad it was wasted. The other actors are ok too.

The song was good at first, but slowly started to get on my nerves.

I won't rewatch this.

If you watch this, then I recommend only watching to episode 13. Just pretend that was the end of the drama.

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Drama extensions are often cited as chancy. When planned for early and well, additional episodes hold the promise of potential. Time constraints are lessened and allow further opportunities to strengthen story and characters. Yet when mishandled (as they typically are), an extension might lead instead to the ruin of an otherwise pleasant watch. Which category does Love Around fall into then? The second, sad to say, though it isn't a total loss.

At first (and for most of its duration), Love Around is pleasant and simple. It never attempts to be more than a light-hearted romp centered on relationships. Some bubbles of conflict surface along the way; these are either dealt with swiftly or swept so far to the side as to be partially forgotten. Early episodes are relatively strong, with the warm dynamic between leads generating bright interest. How refreshing to see honest friendship predate romance, rather than the staple: bickering hatred! Though loveline development is slow, it is also remarkably sweet and natural. And the "comedy" paired with "romantic" in the genre tag? This aspect works well enough, with the usual stumbles here and there.

Major problems emerge around episode 15, coinciding with the first extension. Shift in tone swings so wildly toward melodrama as to be startling. Cliche suddenly invades in force, chomping away at most everything previously fun and original. Once the main conflict is remembered and brought to the forefront, it is milked dry quickly. Worst of all, passable pacing ultimately gives way to scenes as tiring as they are repetitive. These extra portions often center on unabashed filler plots and characters, some of which are wholly new. Once the second extension ends the series, one will find the conclusion rushed though rewarding. Admittedly, some of the sweetness comes from the entire experience finally ending.

The cast remains consistently likable despite late-game overcrowding. George Hu plays gentle melancholy beyond expectation, lending much-needed variety to a genre overpopulated by arrogant princes. His chemistry with Annie Chen is unquestionable; they complement each other just as well as everyone says. Her Xiao Shu stands rather sympathetic until the extension removes her spine and pluck, carried onward mostly by her innate affability. The second leads are a mixed bag, with Jack Lee depicting dull Gao Zhe Xuan without much flair of his own. Idol singer Elleya Tao fares much better, molding the spoiled brat archetype into lovable rather than annoying. Her scenes eventually became an unlooked for pleasure (and a bright spot in the extension doldrums).

Heard of singer Bii? If not, Love Around will introduce you. His songs are heavily promoted throughout the drama, from the catchy theme ("Come Back To Me") to inserts ("Nothing To Do With Happiness," "I'll Be By Your Side," a duet with Miu Chu). One of the only non-Bii tracks belongs to none other than Elleya Tao: "I Love You," an infectious upbeat number.

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Story: Two people who both break up with their significant others, only to coincidentally meet each other and help each other through the break ups, which lead them to become friends and eventually falling for each other. Wow! That sounded like a really nice romantic drama.

Acting/Cast: After finishing Love, Now I was crazy about this couple George and Annie. I think they were the hottest 'couple' in TW at the time. Of course when news came out that they were filming this new drama I was totally going to watch it. Their chemistry is sizzling, but I felt it fell a little short in this drama. Maybe I just had too high of expectations... T_T

Music: "come back to me... come back to me..." OMG Bii is an amazing singer!! And this song was amazing! I had this on repeat for as long as the drama was airing, but of course I had to move on to the next drama and my crazy OST song fascination continues XD

Rewatch Value: As much as I loved the George and Annie, I probably wouldn't be watching this again. If I needed my GeoNiNi fix, I'll go straight to Love, Now

Overall: I had high expectations for this drama, but was disappointed by it alot. Even the hottest couple in TW can not resurrect a drama with a poorly written script. The only reason I gave this a 8 was because the beginning was really cute. After George and Annie got together it just started dragging on and on and on and on... disappointing.

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I love T-Dramas, and I loved this drama, but I will admit by the last few episodes, it really began to drag, and was wishing for its end. Keep in mind however, this is not to say I found it boring or terrible, but there was a lot of unnecessary scenes that I felt took away from a lot of the potential that could've been.

This is not my first Taiwanese drama, but it is the only one I've finished so far, so I can't yet compare it to any others yet. It's hard for me to be detailed without spoiling some things, so I'll avoid doing so. Let me go through some of the general pro's and cons.

Some pro's I liked about this drama is that even though Liang Xiao Shu (female lead) and Zhou Zhen (male lead) were a bit head-to-head at the very beginning, this drama had a different pace in that it wasn't your typical "love-hate" based romance, which is extremely common in Asian dramas. Although I am a fan of that trope, sometimes it's overdone, and this drama didn't go that route. The main leads are pretty much on good terms since early episodes of the drama, so this is a breath of fresh air for anyone who wants a less "hidden-but-we-all-know-its-there" romance. It can sometimes be a little cheesy, but this is still a melodrama, and around episode 9-10ish is when the real serious drama begins. I won't say what. The side characters are just as enjoyable, and watching their own love lives bloom can be just as fun as well.

Some con's I had were that from around episode 15-16ish and onward (of 21 episodes), it begins to drag. I don't mean this as in boring, exactly, I don't really feel that it was boring. However as I've stated earlier, there's a lot of unnecessary drama that takes away from valuable screen time for more interesting and relevant scenes between the main and even side characters. It's lead to an extremely rushed and almost unsatisfying ending. The ending makes you happy in a sense, but in another, there's something that makes you wish you'd seen more of some things and less of others.

It's hard to say whether or not this drama is worth the full run through. I'd say to watch and make that personal decision. On one hand I really enjoyed it, on the other, it could've done a lot better.

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I think a lot of people didn't like this drama because the first half was so fluffy and cute then sudden turn into melodrama and angst. If you go into this drama with an open mind and no expectations, I think you'll find this drama much more enjoyable.

The story was unrealistic even for drama standards because family vendettas are hard to overcome and a 10 pm curfew for an adult is ridiculous.The synopsis given for this drama is mostly the first half of the drama. Towards the end, it got draggy but the main couples' love never flagged for one another. Even though it was unrealistic, I still enjoyed the ride because George Hu and Annie Chen really have great chemistry; they're super comfortable around each other and this shines in the BTS as well.

One thing that really stood out to me about this drama was the fact that there were virtually no love triangles. There were second male and female leads but they were no threat to the main couple at all. There were basically no antagonists. The main conflict in this drama was the family vendetta and disapproving parents. The supporting cast was cute; we have the funny guy, the best friend, etc. The second main couple, Ying Ying and Zhe Xuan had a hilarious first meeting and their romantic development was cute. I started to really looking forward to their scenes together.

This is alright for an one time watch but I wouldn't re-watch this. I watched this purely for George and Annie because I loved them in Love Now. Do I recommend this? Yes, if you like George and Annie. Yes, if you hate love triangles. No, if you want skinship and no, if you hate huge family issues that take up almost half the drama. I don't regret watching this but I wouldn't recommend it to everyone either because not everyone would like this drama. (8/7)

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George and Annie are back together with their own brand of magic. If you have seen Love Now, you know what I mean. These two are great together. Watching them fall in love and get each other in trouble is always delightful, and Annie has a way of making it so natural. George is a talented actor anyways (Summer Love), but with Annie in tow, the fun never ends. Definately one for the Rainy day Watch List. Loveable characters (Nai-Nai is a hoot), cute story, lots of smiles, and a few tears along the way. Good show for those who, like me, love rom coms.

Overall, 8.5 out of 10 for me.

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A radio show that initially exposes a gangster but then after understanding him more, portrays him in a good light. This is one of a few such stories where triad characters are shown in a good light. While Wall Street, Big Oil, Big Pharma, Big Meat, Hollywood cheat all the time but the Great American PR machine keeps people in a drug-induced adoration of their products. This show is a bit like the Godfather where an ex-don's son legitimizes his father's business.

The romance is secondary to the show. The leading lady's childhood friend's confession of his love to her and her rejection leaves you feeling sad for him but life goes on, for the others at least, and he finds love in the arms of a rich girl who falls for his simplicity.

The struggle of a radio show to find advertisers and keep itself afloat is shown very well here.

The opening and closing theme of the show with Annie Chen, the RJ says Hello Wei Ni hao, is among the most pleasant ones I have seen anywhere.

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Zhou Zhen - son of an ex-gangster and now a rich hotel-manager - is crazy in love with his girlfriend and would do anything for her. When she suddenly leaves him, he gets depressed and only enjoys listening to a special radio show from Liang Xiao Shu. Xiao Shu is the good daughter of an ex-police man who won't let her precious daughter stay out later than 22:00 o'clock because it's dangerous. Xiao Shu's boyfriend cheats on her in Zhou Zhen's hotel, where they meet the first time. And they become friends by trying to be the shoulder to lean on in the sad times they have to get through. Nobody knew how deeply they were connected...

So basically, this story starts out perfect. George Hu and Chen Ting Ni really are a good couple and I can't help but love them together. The side-characters all go well together, they are all lovable and cute. I was very addicted until episode 15. That was when the drama you were expecting for the last 10 episodes to happen finally unfolded. The climax was there, but somehow it got dragged out so much, that I got bored and actually wanted to stop watching a few times. I had to cut every episode into three pieces to finish watching this drama. And then the climax isn't all that great either, because they kept building up problems instead of keeping one or two episodes to resolve everything. The ending is hurried and unromantic, if you ask me, and the only good part at the end was Zhou Zhen being his romantic, steady, lovely character. He made the drama 100% better - just too sad that it's not much about him in the end. Also the time invested into side characters at the beginning was way better and more detailed, while at the end they couldn't handle all the storylines they built. I felt disappointed so much to miss out all the other love-lines.

But on the other hand, the OST was awesome, it was still always funny as well - especially if Ying Ying and the grandmother were there, and the feeling of love for the characters didn't fade away. The only thing lacking was the storyline, I guess. But still, the last 6 episodes were too cruel to give it more than 3*. Also the ending wasn't as good as the beginning, so it's just a so-so drama with a 3* rating. It wasn't bad, but just not paced good enough for my taste. I'd recommend it, if you like Taiwan dramas anyway, like the cast or want to see a lovely meeting to marriage drama with your classical involvement of parents and drama!

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Take a Pass on this Convoluted and Highly Unrealistic Show!

I've been watching a number of Asian shows lately, and most of them are good, while a some are even terrific.

I will point out that I didn't make it past the 12th episode. I couldn't believe what I was watching. The show is extremely uneven with the characters, and so unrealistic with some of the story elements, that I'd finally had enough!

The story is about Xiao-Shu a young woman in her late twenties who runs her own radio station. She's just caught her boyfriend cheating on her, and she quickly befriends Zhou Zhen, the son of a notorious gangster who's no longer in the business.

Xiao-Shu, the daughter of a retired policeman, despises gangsters and anyone who takes advantage of others by abusing their own power. She uses her radio station to lash out against such people, and thus, makes an instant enemy of Zhou-Zhen's father.

Meanwhile, Zhou-Zhen takes a job at the radio station to see what he can do to alleviate Xiao-Shu's feelings toward his father (even though she had no idea that they're related), and obviously, to also be closer to her.

This Taiwanese drama/comedy is highly formulaic, taking on the same character-types and plot developments that are in nearly every other Taiwanese drama. I've watched "Fall in Love With Me" and "Murphy's Law of Love," both of which are predictable but infinitely superior to this jumbled mess.

At one point, while Xiao-Shu and Zhou-Zhen are up on a mountain, a drunk driver flies down the path, nearly hitting Xiao-Shu. She hears a crash, seconds later, only to discover that the driver is drunk, and he's just hit a small boy, who lies unconscious on the side of the road. For a moment Xiao-Shu stares at the scene. Any normal person in a story that makes any kind of sense, would have had Xiao-Shu crying out with distress and rushing to help the boy. Instead, she completely ignores the boy and charges at the driver, who is trying to flee the scene. At one point, she actually opens the back door and jumps in.

That was it for me! Nobody with any brains at all, or with any sense of concern and worry over a child being hit by a car, would ignore the child completely and jump into a car to stop the driver! Nobody! Xiao-Shu had her phone with her, and she could just as easily have snapped a few pictures. Instead, we get a convoluted and contrived scene so that Zhou-Zhen is forced to help her. I ended it right there, barely five minutes into the episode. It was too amateurish to bear. How can anyone, calling themselves a "director" or anyone calling themselves a "writer" come up with such a mess?

If you're looking for something of much better quality, I recommend the two shows that I previously mentioned. The best drama I've seen yet out of the Asian market is still Korea's, "Descendants of the Sun."

Avoid this mess! It's just a waste of time.

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first of all before i go any further, xiao shu's dad needs to go. this ma couldnt act for shit. he was so calculated that i just wanted to quit everytime i saw him. no emotions or extra feelings ugh
alright george hu as always is handsome and was the reason i watched the show to the end. the main girl was just umm i dunno, i liked her i just dont think i would rewatch her. the grandma and dad were funny and the sister was cuckoo alil but i finally liked her.
the negatives were just enough to make it mediocre. theres too much happy go lucky shit esp in the radio room where everyone is all happy and tog and no animosity that it dint feel real. the story was good its just the direction was just bad. theres seriously a handful of taiwan shows that are great but most of them are just ridiculous.

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I really wanted this drama to work. I don't know why, as there's nothing all that compelling about the characters or the story, and the leads don't have much chemistry (which is surprising considering they were apparently dynamite opposite each other in a previous drama). But something about this drama made me really want it to be good. That feeling is ultimately what sustained me through a largely dissatisfying viewing experience.

Watching this drama felt much like reading a book out of order or listening to a song in disjointed parts. The beginning and ending were in the right place, but the middle was all mixed up. There's very little conflict in the first half with the lead couple breezing their way through acquaintanceship, friendship, and eventually romance. It's not a compelling relationship, and you keep feeling like you're missing something (like perhaps a reason to care), but the longer the drama goes on, the more you feel like the writers really have nothing to say and that this is all there is. It's not a particularly interesting viewing experience, to say the least, and I kept waiting and hoping for something to Happen. Unfortunately, the writers efforts at making something happen came both too late in the story and were more annoying than they were compelling. We, of course, get the expected happy ending and maybe in another version of this drama it could have been satisfying, but I ultimately walked away bored with the whole thing.

I'm over this drama now and don't really think about it unless I come across it on Dramalist or some other drama website, but the quiet dissatisfaction I felt after finishing it has stayed with me. For whatever reason, I really wanted this drama to figure itself out, and it never did, and that's just stuck with me.

I wouldn't recommend this drama.

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