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  • Join Date: February 27, 2014
Completed
Single Princesses and Blind Dates
8 people found this review helpful
Apr 28, 2014
30 of 30 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers
Overall I found this to be a reasonably strong show. With one primary love triangle and then two secondary love stories, it's got quite a lot going on to keep you watching. Unfortunately I accidentally saw a spoiler for this show before finishing it, so I knew the outcome of the love triangle beforehand. However, despite it being kind of easy to figure out, I think the show does just enough to keep you on your toes throughout; always leaving you guessing. The two sub plots between the supporting characters were well executed too, although one was a lot better than the other - I think I might even have been more invested in it than the main plot!

Despite being a reasonably long show, it never really felt drawn out. The story evolved well in regards to each of the plots and sub plots. Character development was also done really well. Aside from the main lead female and one of the lead males, I think everyone evolved at a comfortable and exciting pace; the supporting cast especially.

Acting and casting was reasonably solid. Jimmy Lin especially gave a really, really great performance, as did the two supporting female characters. The main lead female and Dylan Kuo perhaps not so much. I'm 99% sure the female lead was dubbed over though, which was really unfortunate. I think the rest of the show managed to detract from it just enough to make it bearable, but the show would have been a lot better without it.

Music I've largely forgotten unfortunately, so I'll refrain from commenting on it.

I'd say the show has a very solid rewatch value, if only to enjoy Jimmy Lin's character and acting again. The story is definitely good enough to make it worth the rewatch as well though.

In conclusion, definitely a strong show. The only things holding it back from greatness are of course the dubbing, a little bit of stale acting/character development from a few people and a fairly safe plot. Whilst it evolved and kept itself interesting, it didn't really go that extra step and do anything crazy.

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Ongoing 20/23
Love Contract
6 people found this review helpful
Sep 30, 2014
20 of 23 episodes seen
Ongoing 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 6.5
Rewatch Value 4.0
Not a typical teen romance, inasmuch that it takes itself quite seriously - as someone else has said. It's quite a mature story and the writing is really intelligent. At first it seemed like it would be a retelling of The Taming of the Shrew, but it quickly developed into it's own story - although still remaining quite Shakespearean. Although others here have mentioned that it's really slow and dull, I honestly didn't find that. Whilst I felt the two lead characters were a little flat (Mike He the better of the two), the supporting cast were quite gripping and there was enough going on to keep me invested - even if the show wasn't great at tying up loose ends for subplots.

Under the surface, it discusses quite a few deeper themes that don't get explored so often. Gender and misogyny in particular are issues that are really probed into by the show's subtext, and it makes for quite thought provoking viewing. Whilst it would be a stretch to call it 'feminist', it's quite blunt in tarring men with a bad brush from the first episode to the last.

It also lapses into surrealism a little bit, which is really unique. Whilst other shows have dream sequences, flash backs etc, this show tackles them in quite a different way and they can be very strange at times, which definitely kept me watching.

Again, I didn't find it slow - to the contrary I found it pretty well paced. Everyone developed at a reasonable rate and enough time was devoted to everyone to see some good character progression from both the main and supporting cast. It also wasn't too predictable and when you thought you had the show figured out, there still managed to be some shocking twists and turns. Everyone here seems to be complaining about the ending, but I loved it - very intelligent end if you pay attention to it.

Acting was a mixed bag, but reasonably solid - Mike He and Ariel Lin as I mentioned had their bad moments. Music I can't say I enjoyed too much and the editing was also quite shoddy at times - especially at the end. A few good songs though and they were used well at times.

Not particularly keen to rewatch it anytime soon though - maybe because it's a bit darker and more mature than the average romance shows I watch.

Overall though, I was really impressed by this show. The intelligence of the writing and the solid story structure were great, whilst the show in general just felt really well fleshed out. I wasn't as invested in it as I could have been, which is unfortunate, but I still feel this is a very underrated show and definitely one of the best I've seen.

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Completed
The Queen of SOP
5 people found this review helpful
Apr 28, 2014
33 of 33 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 3.0
Interesting show. Ticked all the stereotypical boxes, although didn't really go beyond that. The plot was both quite convoluted and also quite predictable. A lot of stuff happened and left a lot of loose ends, but the overarching story was easy to figure out way before the half way point. The show has a fairly clear divide into two parts and I thought character and plot development in the second half really suffered. Only the main lead male character really evolved, whilst everyone else quickly became quite stale. The second half was a very predictable, tame and unadventurous telling of a very simple and short story. The first half was a lot more dynamic and exciting. I wouldn't say the show was especially drawn out, but more could have been done to really keep us invested in the story.

The casting was really strong though, despite quite a few weak characters. Everyone performed really well in my eyes and there wasn't really anyone I could single out as a let down. The female lead especially was really impressive, as I've seen her in other shows and I hardly recognized her in this. I think the actors were let down far more by the relatively weak writing than by their actual skills.

Music was largely forgettable. Not as strong as many other shows, but not inherently bad. Not really sure what else to say about this; it wasn't really here or there.

I personally don't have any incentive to rewatch this. It was largely quite predictable and most of the characters weren't too likable. There were no huge stand out moments to really make me want to see them again.

Overall, despite becoming quite bland as it progressed, it's still a decent show worth watching. The first half of the show gets you invested in it *just* enough to make you want to see it through to the end, although don't expect anything groundbreaking.

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Completed
Romantic Princess
2 people found this review helpful
Sep 21, 2014
13 of 13 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 7.0
One of the better dramas I've seen. Interesting to see a romance show without a real love triangle too, which made quite a change. The story was surprisingly good, with a lot of variety and enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. It features one main love story, then one sub-plot, which doesn't get too much attention. In fact, the supporting cast could have had a lot more - since there were some really great characters. I definitely feel like the show could have used a few more episodes to really get to grips with everyone - I'd even go as far as saying it would be great if it were double the length! But unfortunately the rather premature ending leaves a lot of loose ends, which is a real shame.

Like many dramas, it's effectively split into two parts, although the second 'half' is quite rushed. Things are predictable at times, but quite intriguing at others, so it definitely kept me watching until the very end. Character development suffered a little, with only the leads making much progress. Some of the supporting cast get a little bit, but it all feels a bit shallow and forced.

The acting was generally quite strong. It seemed a little weak in the first few episodes, but it got exponentially better as it went along. Casting was also really well done and the only issue I can really think of was Eric Li, who wasn't very impressive.

For once, I know enough about the music to pass comment. I found it really good. A lot of classical pieces, mixed in with some modern, up-beat songs, which was a nice balance. The editing wasn't perfect at times, but it was bearable. I'd definitely need to go back and rewatch it to find out some of the songs used, since they were pretty catchy.

Rewatching in general though... maybe one day. It wasn't the greatest show, but the characters and plot were interesting enough to make me want to see it again at some point.

At the end of the day, I'd definitely recommend it. The main problem really lies in the fact that there were just not enough episodes, so that should clue you in as to whether it's any good or not!

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