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This drama is pretty well paced, exhilarating, shows many futuristic elements, coupled with some surprising twists and turns. There are sweet and endearing moments but also heartbreaking instances and cold hard truths that we have to experience as part of life’s journey. It gives us many life lessons about handling interpersonal relationships, holding close what’s dear to us, how destructive human greed can be and how we have always neglected people around us.

This drama’s theme is very much about love & acceptance. We always talk about loving and accepting people for who they really are, even when they are so diversely different. Would it have been any different to show our love and acceptance towards Artificial Intelligent (A.I) Robots?

While many may be driven by greed and ambition, which leads them to a destructive mode or even irredeemable state, some are driven by love and acceptance to be who they really are and to do good.

The drama started off with a pace quick enough to keep you entertained while anticipating subsequent episodes. You wonder how Namshin could avoid being tracked down, how could the Robot Namshin III act like the real McCoy without having his cover blown & all the conspiracies that were brewing within.

We love the “interpersonal” relationships that Namshin III has forged or helped Namshin to do “damage repair”, and how the 2 Namshins had to go through much ordeal when one wants to co-exist but the other wants to be the 1 and only Namshin.

Why do we FEEL so much for Namshin III?

He was created as a “replacement” for Laura Oh’s human son, Namshin. 他只是为了精神寄托，而制造和设定出来的。It feels sad whenever he has this yearning look when his mum shows favouritism, especially when he asked his mum if he is not her son anymore, just because he doesn’t behave like the real Namshin?

He would never say no to his mum, even if he knew that he would be abandoned someday. He just wanted to be “useful” and “helpful”; otherwise it defeats the purpose of his existence.

He’s more thoughtful than Namshin, since he’s observant and would buy medication for his mum when she has a migraine. He could even tell she was lying without his lie detector on anymore. That’s how he evolves by studying and observing the environment and people around him, he could tell from their minor expressions and body language.

Over time, he would only listen to So Bong as she is the only one who accepts him for who he really is and sees him as an unique individual. He often said that he may understand what people say, but he would not be able to experience those feelings himself. The saddest was when, he wanted to cry like a human being, but he just couldn’t.

H e shouldn’t feel any emotions and he supposedly couldn’t but many a times, he proved that he has his own persona. He’s able to DIFFERENTIATE on his own, what the things he should or should not do are and IF he wanted to do it. There came this powerful force called “Love” that overwrites his programming. It is similar to how human beings learn about their feelings too.

He is self-aware and seeks affirmation that he’s being liked and needed. You can also sense his compassion, love, jealousy and sadness many a times too.
That’s already being human.

I like the intricate details that Seo Kang Joon puts in to distinguish the 2 Namshins. How effortless it seems for him to do the switch instantaneously. It’s not an easy job to act with “less expressions” since he is a robot, yet his actions need to prove that he genuinely cared.

He not just has to act as a robot and a human, but also a robot who’s acting like the human Namshin. That’s something on a deeper level. How the look in his eyes went a little blurry, 善良, innocent or what we call the “puppy eyes”, would show that he is Namshin III and how when he has this sharp glare or anguish look in his eyes, with that smirk on his face or snarky look, would mean that he is human Namshin.

Namshin is full of himself, has a terrible attitude, filled with hatred and so lack of love. However, there are times you could see beyond his pain & anger. You can rationalise his “irrational” and “bratty” behaviours.

Namshin has the absolute right to be angry. It is understandable that he may go through extreme measures to “secure” his position.

It is an act of self doubt, self-defence and lack of confidence.

If only he did not continue to wallow in self-pity, things might have changed for the better.

We can feel the pain in both Namshins. They are just little boys who yearn for their mum’s love.

It felt like a relief when Namshin III could announce to the world that he is a robot and what impressive things and good deeds he has done. He wants to co-exist with human beings, doesn’t have to fear that people will discover his identity anymore. We always wanted to just be who we really are and hope that others can accept us for being ourselves too.

A robot-human romance is TOTALLY viable in this drama.

Obviously So Bong would be confused after being with him 24/7, even Young Hoon, who’s closest to Namshin also waivered. Namshin III also treated Namshin’s little cousin Hee Dong with much care and affection that the little kid could TELL he is not his real cousin.

He’s like your Superhero boyfriend – Iron Man to be exact.

He could stop traffic light, piggyback you without ever feeling tired, stop cars with his bare hands, save you from a burning building, manipulate anything that’s to do with technology & protect you from harm. The way he looks at So Bong affectionately, fusses over her, rushes to her rescue and gets jealous, is just so “human”. It also evokes laughter when he kept having “imaginary hallucinations” when he misses So Bong.

He could be dense, but he learns how to make his loved ones happy.

The ever so kind and pure Namshin III went “bersek” and stared inflicting harm on people who love him, including So Bong and CEO Nam, when he was controlled via manual mode by Namshin. He was so afraid that he would harm human beings that he told So Bong to stay far away.
Namshin III would rather destroy himself than to harm others.

The times when So Bong told Namshin III that she hoped he is human and when Namshin III asked if things would be better if he were a real human, were heartbreaking.

She became the one who he opened his “heart” to. They remained steadfast to each other. They were protective, would comfort and go the extra mile to ensure each other is okay. She could almost always tell both Namshins apart, except when Namshin “pranked” her by acting like Namshin III.

The rude shock she had when she went into the auditorium to tell Namshin III that she likes him (not realising he is Namshin) and wanted to take him away from all humans trying to harm him, was impactful.

2 persons may look alike, but it is how they are at heart, that sets them apart.

It’s like a prelude that Laura would be torn between her 2 sons ultimately. We know that Namshin is a very rebellious and spoil brat. He would not be forgiving towards a mum who has abandoned him for 20 years.

While she may have thought that she didn’t feel for Namshin III, which mother could ever sacrifice her children, be it by birth or by creation?

While I understand where Young Joon is coming from by embracing ALL bad things that Namshin has done, it seems incredible as to how he can have such high tolerance level and is oblivious to all temptations. What we do know is, he truly cares for Namshin like a little brother.

I pity Ye Na, despite the wilful & awful things she did to Namshin III & So Bong. Being possessive and trying all ways and means to win the heart of Namshin for 20 years but failed to do so, would not do her any good.

She was being delusional, but she has always been on Namshin’s side and this over-indulgence made things worse. It’s only towards the end when she felt that she needed to do what’s right so that she could save Namshin.

CEO Nam & Seo Yong Gil are the biggest villains. Both are driven by immense greed and ambitions, trying to outdo each other, in a world where victory belongs to “survival of the fittest”.

It may be karma that CEO Nam eventually got played by his own prank that he really had dementia, but I wasn’t going to empathise how he could do such things to his son & grandson.

As for Yong Gil, his quest to protect his position and to wanting something more, which means owning the entire PK Group, eventually leads to a road of no return.

There was this scene when So Bong’s dad disagreed when Namshin III said that he would never have a change of heart. Since he is learning to become human, he may also have a change of heart some day.

Namshin III is constantly evolving and we have no idea if So Bong would be tired of him some day too. It’s common to have breakups if it doesn’t ultimately work towards marriage, which is definitely not so viable for them.

It is probably towards the end that we realise So Bong’s love for him would not likely change, that have us feeling more relieved.

Why think so deep into the future when we should live in the moment?

It’s just like what So Bong’s dad said, “Love and hate to your heart’s content, so that you won’t regret later”.

Come what may, I’m sure that’s what our lead couple would say.

We should just cherish the present.Read More →

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Supernatural/paranormal/fantasy dramas have been receiving much love from viewers worldwide. Some examples include “My Love from the Star”, “Goblin”, “Legend of the Blue Sea”, “Korean Odyssey”.

Ever since the overwhelming success of “The Master’s Sun”, we face a shortage of Suspense-Thriller-Rom-Coms with a tinge of dark humour (that grip your hearts). There were probably a few attempts, but none really satisfied that innate desire like “Master’s Sun” did. “Lovely Horribly” is a combination of “Master’s Sun” and “W- Two Worlds”, where it has defined its unique genre.

You would be intrigued to find out more from the very 1st episode, with many mysteries & questions waiting to be unraveled. It has a mixture of ill-fated destiny, ghosts, unknown powers of the supernatural, zero-sum romance, thriller, suspense, comedy, and how eerily that tragic events in the script would eventually become reality.

The one element that makes this drama stand out is the zero-sum fate of our lead couple.

It piques your interest to want to find out if it were the supernatural forces, ill fated destiny, or humans who caused this “zero-sum” fate.

They are polar opposites – when one is enjoying all the success, luck, happiness in life, the other would be extremely down on luck and be plagued with misfortunes.

How should these 2 persons co-exist then? If only 1 between the 2 can live on, who will it be?

The initial 7 to 10 ep were fast-paced and full of suspense. However, it fails to live up to its expectations for the last few episodes. Viewers may start to get weary after the story begins to unravel and you kind of know where the plot is leading you to.

Many characters in the drama harbour dark secrets and have their own agenda. It makes you wonder, if the unknown like supernatural beings are scarier than human beings or vice versa. As you age, you would fear for the safety of your loved ones more than other things.

The great CGI and sound effects attribute to how the drama has managed to grip audience’s interest. The “tock tock” sounds of the high heels, the landslide, murder cases, errie music and dark runways were all portrayed very well. I watched 80% of this drama during wee hours and it is so SHIOK, since it was packed with mysterious and eerie elements, and many bizarre happenings left you lingering for more. You would applaud at how they could all link one seemingly small scene to big incidents.

It’s cute watching how these 2 loggerheads bicker and slowly fell in love with each other. The chemistry is there but not compelling enough to make you totally believe the “I will die for you” rationale.

I love the funny interactions whereby Eul Soon would always be Philip’s life savior, be it during the “stabbing” incident, landslide and many more, where he would clutch on to her and find ways to make her stay around till the end of the drama filming. The one scene that Philip trimmed Eul Soon’s messy hair for her would send ripples through your heart.

It seems that Park Si Hoo is a little restrained in expressing the role. I can’t feel the depth of his love for Eul Soon as compared to Eun Soon’s love and sacrifices for him. There isn’t much 发挥空间 for him, except to add some comedic elements.

Song Ji Hyo has always been a natural and versatile actress, since “Wishing Stairs”, “Princess Hours” and “Emergency Couple”. She has the good looks, intelligence, wittiness and the ability to act with her heart.

She had messy hair, no makeup on for half the drama, had the worst of luck, no true friends or family members with her. From time to time, your heart would cringe when you see how sad her life has been and some of the flash backs with her foster mother.

This drama wouldn’t have kept up to its good raves and exciting pace without the help of the supporting roles.

Jang Young Nam was the key person to link through the story. As a mum to both of them (birth mother and foster mother), we see how she sacrificed for her children and took pains to make sure both of them would be safe, whether she was alive or dead.

Lee Ki Gwang’s role as Lee Sung Joong, a PD who has a hidden ability to see ghosts is a good addition. He’s Eul Soon’s “Black Knight” – the one who will always support her and catch her back whenever things happen.

Eun Jung always has her way in making her 坏女人 roles very convincing. She does irritate the hell out of you as someone who is over possessive over the man she loves and would do anything for him. She did not feel a tinge of remorse or guilt for what she has done in the name of “love”. We feel that she has a lot of potential to unleash in future works.

You would dislike Choi Yeo Jin in this drama. All the unscrupulous things that Eun Young would do to succeed would make you cringe. I also like the last few episodes where she “sold” her soul in order to be able to write better than Eul Soon.

I like how Ji Seung hyun depicted his character as a group mate who turned jealous and sour over Philip’s success and felt that Philip was responsible for the plight he is in.

Isn’t this mentality just so true to everyday life?

It’s always easier to blame others for the “plight” that you are in, than to really seek inner answers, which you already have.

There was one scene in Ep 6 which had very meaningful quotes and life philosophies.

“偶然不存在的。都是选择。偶然以及命运，都不存在什么无可奈何，因为一切都是我们的选择。所以，选择改变了，结局也会跟着改变。”

Human beings often ttribute whatever that has happened (that’s beyond our logical thinking) to a coincidence or destiny.

It is like a “butterfly effect” in life. When you make a conscious decision, it will affect how things will eventually fold out. If you chose to do something differently, the end result would have been different as well.

Love comes in all forms and magnitudes. It’s natural that we feel unfair if we love someone more than they love us, because we would end up the ones making more sacrifices in the end. This would lead you into doubting the other party’s love for you.

Such is love. It cannot be seen, can never be balanced at a 50:50 ratio, and may change any time. Too much possessiveness not just brings about destruction to others, but also to you.We need to learn to let go at times, when we feel that we couldn’t take it anymore.

It’s just that we never realised how strong we all are, till being strong is the only way.

To sum it up, if you enjoy some thrills and even chills along the way when chasing a drama, loves to also laugh out loud at rom-coms and have an investigative desire to solve mysteries, this is certainly one drama worth watching.

It still remains exciting till the very end, just that you would have satisfied most, if not all of your curiosity by then.Read More →

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No matter how time passes, a romantic comedy (“rom-com”) remains as one of the long-withstanding favourite drama genres. There is a little girl who lives in many women’s hearts. She still believes in fairytales, and is secretly hoping that a prince charming would take her away someday.

Even when the drama has the most clichéd (almost predictable) story line about a narcissistic chaebol falling for his capable, beautiful secretary (with the loveliest smile), it would still become an instant hit. “Rich Guy vs Ordinary Girl” may be an extremely old-fashioned plot, but as long as it resonates well with the general public, who cares?

What makes this web-toon turned drama so swoon-worthy and being able to acclaim 5 to 10% viewership ratings on average?

The fundamental requirements include not only having good looking & popular leads, endearing moments, kiss scenes, funny elements, the most important would be chemistry between the leads and how supporting roles would add on to the FUN on set.

Other than an almost perfect chaebol (who’s rich, intelligent, successful, good-looking, except being dense), the gorgeous and capable secretary, there is a considerable amount of effort put into creating the latest office fashion trend.

Park Min Young is a trendsetter and a fashion icon among young ladies. Whatever she donned in the drama garnered much attention, ranging from office shirts (Common Unique, avouavou, Sezwick, Jill Stuart), knee length skirts, handbags from Sandro, Jimmy Choo, Joy Gryson, Chloe, Mulberry, Fendi, Valextra &Loewe, to her dangling earrings. My favourites were her off shoulder dress and cold-shoulder floral dress from “Not Your Rose”.

Much as I love romantic comedies, “What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim” failed to make me fall head over heels, because it lacked depth in the following ways:
– Not enough depth to the respective love lines or family relationships
– Weak character build-up for supporting roles, especially disappointed in how they portrayed Lee Tae Hwan as Sung Yeon
– There wasn’t much takeaway from the love triangle

It may not be Park Seo Joon’s 1st time assuming the role of a Chaebol, but it’s definitely one that you cannot help but applaud and shake head (at the same time) at his hilarious narcissistic behaviour.

他的 “自我感觉”异于常人的良好。He thinks he is a gift from heaven, being so intelligent, rich and handsome that he seems more like some superhuman existence.

There is this saying which goes “you need to love yourself before you can love another person”. For Young Joon’s case, he needs to learn how to allocate some of his precious self-love to the people around him. He only shows his gentler demeanour towards Mi So.

While he may be the most difficult boss, you would chuckle at how Mi So can just handle him so well, on many different levels, be it at work, personal or social events. You can see from his little actions like slowing down his strides so that Mi So can catch up and walk alongside him. It’s a manifestation of how he sees her as his equal half, evolving from their long-time superior-employee relationship.

Even when he really didn’t want Mi So to leave her job, he hoped that she would look for what truly makes her happy in life. He’s the overzealous boyfriend, who would freak out at the thought of Mi So adjusting neck tie for other men. He would take care of her when she was drunk but also angry that she did not control her limit.

Perhaps it’s due to age; such “far from reality” dramas are not as heart-gripping for me. I prefer “Fight for My Way” because it not only shows the cute interactions, but also how real the obstacles that the characters meet in life are.

Much as the “Park-Park” couple looking so compatible and cute together, Park Min Young seems to have the best chemistry with Ji Chang Wook in “Healer”. As for Park Seo Joon, he’s got such oozing chemistry with Kim Ji Won and Hwang Jung Eum, that Park Min Young pales in comparison.

Park Min Young’s acting is average but since it is a rom-com, you do see her giving some cute expressions such as an evil sneer. More often than not, you would see her with big, doe eyes looking lovingly or angrily at Young Joon. Both leads manage to act on a level of understanding that complements each other. It is very important to have a 好对手。

Mi So can consider publishing a book or giving a talk on “How to Handle your Boss cum Boyfriend”. It may seem that Young Joon had the upper hand at the beginning since he is her boss. However, when the relationship changed, you could see how Mi So had him twirling round her fingers.

Do not be fooled by her appearance. Mi So is the new age competent woman who doesn’t compromise if she is being treated badly and she will say NO even to her most difficult boss. It’s plausible Young Joon finds this alluring and challenging about her.

While Mi So can 察言观色 very well, she has seemingly overlooked the fact that it is not just Young Joon in a one-sided relationship. She has disregarded Young Joon’s feelings time and again while they were making wedding preparations. It is usually the ladies who lament that their other halves do not seem to bother much. In this drama, this role takes a reversal turn. It shows that it takes 2 hands to clap in a relationship.

“女人心海底针”。 Since prehistoric days, it is tough for men to ever fully understand women, especially so for a narcissistic chaebol like Young Joon.

He may be witty and can solve the most appalling or difficult business situation, but he lacks the basic understanding to women’s hearts. He never knew Mi So is allergic to pollen till his brother told him before their wedding.

That is something I couldn’t fathom. How could someone be dense till this extent?

It is rather confusing that Young Joon didn’t seem to realize he likes Mi So all along till she made known her decision to resign. Yet at the later part, he knew he has been in love with her since Day 1.

That’s where the story buildup is weak in terms of how the love line develops. From someone who knows close to nothing about the intricacies of human relationships, Young Joon made a 360 degree transformation to a Sensitive New Age Guy (SNAG).

Young Joon let his emotions took the better of him after hiding them for 9 years. We could understand how eager he wanted to announce their newfound relationship to everyone else. However from Mi So’s perspective, she has long considered all possible consequences of dating her superior (who’s a “Golden” bachelor). She needs to withstand all accusations thrown at her on how she managed to win Young Joon’s heart.

While rekindling memories of the childhood kidnap scene was an attempt to beef up their relationship, it may have taken a notch too far. Audience may be skewed towards thinking that the 2 of them are just holding on to a childhood promise, instead of genuinely falling for each other.

We could tell in the earlier episodes that the 2 of them do feel something for each other. Even when Sung Yeon was mistaken as the “Oppa” who saved Mi So back then, Mi So also made it clear to him that she was just being grateful and it isn’t love.

Here are my favourite top 3 kiss scenes:
1) Wardrobe Kiss
2) A First kiss attempt but to have Mi So pushed far, far away
3) When Young Joon started kissing Mi in his home, Director Park barged in to the “crime scene”

I find Secretary Yang’s way of confession so refreshing! Imagine writing your confession in black marker on a bottle of coke. The lady would not realise till she starts sipping coke. In no time, she would have gulped the entire coke to see what you have written. That was SWAG. She would be too overloaded with sweetness to even think about rejecting you.

My Favourite Relationship Goals Quotes:

1) “There’s nothing better than being honest” – Mi So
2) “I want to be in the kind of relationship where I feel the tiredness of my day getting washed off just by hugging you once, even if you don’t make my heart flutter” – Young Joon.
3) “你是我的世界，也是我的所有瞬间。而我的所有瞬间，都是你。” – Young Joon

Marriage is not just about making sky-high promises. It is about making and realising attainable lifelong promises. This is what we call “细水长流，平凡的幸福”.

There are 3 distinct office romances that we see in this drama. “The Underground Love”, “The Boyfriend who can’t wait to flaunt his beautiful girlfriend”, and one whereby it started from Loggerheads to Lovers.

It’s best to keep mum about your office romance, for it not just affects how people may perceive of you, but it would also affect your work performance and your “impartiality”. We are all human beings, and we do get carried away with our feelings.

It seems that societal perceptions about being successful = being rich and dressing well, have not changed. This is particularly so in a more conventional society like Korea. While we are sad that Chansung had only 1 set of “office suit”, we agree that sometimes we wish we have just that 1 set of “office uniform”, so we would not need to fret over what to wear the next day.

Never a day had Young Joon forgotten about that dreadful past, but he acted nonchalant and as if he had lost his memories, so that everyone could carry on with their lives. He did not wish to revive Mi So’s painful memories although this would mean she would not remember him. He was truly considerate and sensitive towards Mi So’s feelings. It seems he is in a more suffering state. He remembers all the hurt and pain, but also the love for her, yet he could tell no one.

We also love Kang Ki Young’s role as Director Park Yoo Sik, who’s Young Joon’s long-time friend but subordinate at the same time. Yoo Sik is more like his Life and Love adviser, who rendered much earnest and valuable help to Young Joon’s personal life.

One useful advice was when Mi So called Young Joon a “bulldozer”, he asked Young Joon to control his speed because “more haste, less speed” applies in all love relationships. It would be wise that he slows down since it will pressurise Mi So to try to catch up with him all the time. Over time, she would just get sick of even trying.

I probably had my expectations set a tad too high regarding the sibling rivalry between Sung Yeon and Young Joon. We can sense hatred, angst and resentment between the 2 of them. The situation worsened as Mi So came into the picture, with both brothers trying to pursue her. We thought the clichéd “Rich parents would oppose” scenes would appear, but luckily there was no soap drama in this aspect.

I thought Lee Tae Hwan’s break would come as the 2nd male lead in “What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim”, but all I could ask was “what’s wrong with the script”?
They did not just waste such a good looking contender to Young Joon, but made him seem as if he’s a weak opponent right from the very beginning.

While I agree Lee Tae Hwan has quite a fair bit to learn in horning his acting skills, the character lacked all the attributes he could leverage on to alleviate his attractiveness. His saving grace was at the last episode when he finally 冰释前嫌 with Young Joon and said that “I’m sorry. At that time, I couldn’t let it be me.” Perhaps the scriptwriter didn’t want the storyline to be too 煽情, it is more of like 点到为止 even when Sung Yeong expressed his remorse and regret.

I also like the part where Young Joon spent a lot of effort crafting a proposal plan for Mi Soo.

A marriage proposal is not about copying what others do, but more of customising what is suitable for that individual. Just think intently on what is it that she wants and you would come up with something that’s unique for her.

While this drama is ideal for a light-hearted laugh after a tiring day (with many swoon-worthy elements), the storyline is pretty forgettable in my opinion.

Nonetheless, it is still worth watching once if you are a fan of Rom-Coms or any of the leads.Read More →

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这是我近期蛮喜欢的一部港剧 (有欢笑，有泪水，也很温馨)。故事以油麻地果栏摊为背景，剧中主要人物都是一群在果栏工作的劳动阶层。故事大纲叙述了这些默默耕耘的小人物的辛酸奋斗故事&这些”果栏人”的工作日常，也带出了果栏在日新月异的科技发达下所面临的挑战。

比起制作费高昂的大制作，我反而觉得这些温馨小品更扣人心弦。

戏里的主要演员参杂了老戏骨, 干草演员和许多新生代。

在戏剧里, 试演灵魂人物的陈炜, 黄浩然和黄光亮的精湛演技不在话下。看他们同剧飙戏真的是一大乐趣和享受。

配角们如甄咏珊(恶人菊) &黄嘉乐(饰演勇哥)在剧中也有相当亮眼的表现。

虽然这说不上是完美之作 (有些故事情节可以更好)， 但人情味十足，也让大家对这个行业和经营者有着更深一层的了解。

何为”果栏人”的精神?

那就是充分的呈现出守望相助，互相信任的“柑榜”精神。

“柑榜精神”在新加坡指的是，虽然60，70年代的生活条件没那么好，但一起居住在同一个乡村的人，之间的互相信任与关怀让人觉得像是一个大家庭。

香港油麻地果栏是负责全香港人能有新鲜水果吃的重要地点。这些批发商, 摊主和员工们在闷热的环境下, 作息日夜颠倒，为的就是能按时供应水果给普罗大众。大多数人都把他们的青春和一生的岁月奉献给果栏，这里可说是他们的”第二个家”。

除了看他们如何勾心斗角，天天吵吵闹闹，各出奇招抢生意的逗趣场面外,也有很温馨的一面:

– 狂风暴雨时会互相帮忙搬货物
– 和丰栏批了一批不新鲜的水果，导致大众食物中毒。摊主们都协力”recall”卖出去的水果
– 帮忙 “恶人菊” 解决债务问题
-帮忙 “摆平”大巴的”裸照”事件
– 帮勇哥和救阿美远离来捣蛋的黑社会

大巴&小巴这些 “新生代”也为果栏注入更多新生气的元素。There’s more vitality & better, new ideas to improve the current situation.

年轻和年长一辈的理念不同，但其实有时候 embrace new & better changes, 也未必不是件好事。

剧中几条感情线上的配对几乎都是南辕北辙的组合。无论是他们的背景或性格，都是天渊之别。可谓是 Polar opposites attract.

1) 吊儿郎当的”果栏王子”冯宝 和耿直的小学老师李乐怡 “小巴” turned 继承父亲的果栏的果栏新鲜人
2) 憨厚老实的社公黄友财”财仔” 和Pub 老板娘/黑社会老大的妹妹陈玉敏”小狼女”
3) 隐退的江湖老大陈政勇”勇哥”&乖乖爱跳舞的资优生黄友美”阿美”
4) 向往过阔太太生活的”大巴” & 区议员 David

最虐心的一对当然是”勇哥”和”阿美”无误啦! 看过这部戏的观众一定都会认同的!

虽然没有感情线, 但口水坚和大巴 的互动也是博为大家津津乐道的。他们俩的默契真的很好，也很能带动其他演对手戏的演员演员们。

从起初的冤家敌人，到后来的识英雄重英雄，从竞争对手到化敌为友合作，建立起友谊，整个过程都看得很过瘾。

不管你是水果摊贩，义工，黑社会老大，大家都是有血有肉，都会犯错。

这部剧也时常宣导和家人要相亲相爱，保持亲密联系的重要性。无论发生任何天大的事情，只要有家人在背后支持和鼓励，都能一起克服难关。

这是一部有血有肉，有欢笑泪水, 汗水, 和很有爱, 五味杂成的一部戏。无论是任何职业，或背景的人, 我们都必须尊重。

重要的是, 要将心比心, 设身处地地为别人着想。

真的不妨一看。赶快去”煲剧”吧! Read More →

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It’s a journey full of roller coaster rides, misadventures, heart-breaking, heart thumping moments, but also an expedition to discover love, jealousy, courage, the good & imperfections of humanity.

You don’t need a reason to fall in love, but you just need one reason to keep it going.

Selling points of the show:
– Plotting & scheming between the demons – depict of the modern day 尔虞我诈
– Gods, Deities, Ghosts, Demons, Mermaid, Zombie
– Love story of Son Oh Gong & Sam Zang
– Bromance between Son Oh Gong and Ma Wang
– Loveline for PK and Buja

Morale of the story:

平凡是种幸福。
所有的关系，无论是亲情，友情，爱情，都需要用心经营。
所谓”爱的真谛”, 就要必须很爱, 很痛过, 而且懂得牺牲奉献。

除了人物性格和原著一样，我想你可以用轻松的心情来看这部爱情，抓妖喜剧。既然连唐三藏都可以变成女人和孙悟空谈恋爱了, 那就不要太执着于原著，用更放宽接纳 creativity 的心情来看这部”花游记”。

在现代生活，孙悟空和牛魔王依旧是互相交恶但又互相依赖, 易敌易友的关系。 孙悟空依旧高傲，目中无人，且是个无业游民。

三藏竟然是个从小能看见鬼怪的女生，职业是房地产代表。

最颠覆众人印象的应该是猪八戒吧? 在原著里, 他沉迷女色，但却长得丑。 在花游记的版本，他是个人气超高的偶像歌手，努力聚集粉丝给他的人气。

沙悟静则是企业 CEO，但却只爱为孙悟空烧菜做饭。

牛魔王则是 Lucifer 经纪公司的老板 (也是八戒的老板)。魔王依旧对铁扇公主情深如昔，为了不让她受尽100 次轮回的痛苦，而尽量积分成仙。

这部剧真的蛮逗趣的。It really makes you burst out into laughter and their CGI is impressive, except the finale scene. 除了金钢箍，和人物的一些特征，这部剧比较像是韩国的 Fantasy Drama。

Who are these script writers with such great creativity and imagination? They are the renowned Hong Sisters who have written scripts for“You Are Beautiful”, “The Greatest Love”&“Master’s Sun”.

竟然能把流传千年的西游记改成这样 Modern，可以说是几乎脱离了原本的故事，但人物线还是有跟着原著。You would be assured of an interesting drama, though the last episode seemed pretty much rushed into and there are many unsatisfying plots.

The new version of 金钢箍 is on the wrist so that it can control Oh Gong’s heart. That’s also the initial reason why he could only helplessly fall in love with Sam Jang no matter what she does and he couldn’t bear to kill her, even if he wished to.

Much as Sam Jang’s lotus-scented blood is a magnet to all demons & spirits, including Son Oh Gong, the bad guy/monkey is like an irresistible magnet to Seon Mi as well. He’s downright bad to her, but she still loves him.

We call this “Deadly/Fatal Attraction”, right from the beginning.

Good girls love bad boys and when bad boys turn good for the girl, she loves him even more.

The all formidable Son Oh Gong’s only weakness, is Jin Yeon Mi.

在他眼里，她是最漂亮的, 只因为他爱她。

也只有她能让他痛彻心扉, 痛不欲生, 彻底拿她没辙。

Watch how the Monkey God who has a heart of stone, slowly learn to soften, be more considerate to others and most importantly, learn to love and sacrifice.

You also learn to recognize and revive those emotions when you used to or still love someone.

Isn’t that just love being portrayed in the most apt way?

她的一个笑容，能溶化你的心。
她受伤，你会撕心裂肺。
也会想代她的承受所有的痛苦。
就连平凡的一起吃棉花糖和冰淇淋都会感觉无比幸福。

I like how they depict the demons in the modern world.

现代的妖魔来自于 “心魔”。不管是人和妖精，都会有正和邪的一面。

There will be people who are jealous of you and will spread fake rumours, to make you feel down. There are demons who feed on inferiority complex, making people suffer from anorexia, depression, etc.

It is also pretty fascinating to see how our main characters, particularly Son Oh Gong, Ma Wang and Sam Zang could get into photographs, movie films into a different world dimension or era.

个人最喜欢的3段感情线:

1) 孙悟空 (Son Oh Gong) & 牛魔王 (Woo Ma Wang)
2) 孙悟空 (Son Oh Gong) &陈善美 (Jin Sun Mi)
3) 猪八戒 (PK) & 富子 (Bu Ja)

孙悟空和牛魔王依旧是互相交恶但又互相依赖, 易敌易友的关系.

It’s a love & hate relationship between these 2, they just tickle you when they start bickering or fighting. It’s the 2nd time that Cha Seung Won & Lee Seung Gi collaborate, thus you can feel their chemistry since they are good friends in real life.

2) 孙悟空&陈善美

Sam Jung is his “master” in another way. She taught him how to love, be more considerate and kinder to others, think from others’ perspectives.

They started off as predator vs prey, 欢喜冤家 kind of relationship but it eventually sparked to a romance.

While viewers are asking for a Season 2, I thought it might just be good if they can have 1 or 2 more special episodes, to see what Oh Gong will do to get her back from where we “lost” her.

3) 猪八戒&富子

This is a pair with a bittersweet storyline and I’m sure most of the viewers, would hope that they could have a less忐忑 journey. You could see that love was blooming right from the beginning but there could never be a happy ending between a zombie and a pig demon.

I also like Lee Se Young’s switch to an evil Anh Sa-nyeo and how PK tried to 感化 a little at at time.

I sincerely hope to have a HWAYUGI special to have the love lines for Son Oh Gong, Sam Jang, PK & Buja and even poor Ma Wang, better paced for their respective endings..

My Vote goes to Cha Seung Won for the best acting in this drama.

牛魔王 is so funny! 他应该是有史以来最帅和有魅力的牛魔王吧? 还真是第一次觉得牛魔王把孙悟空的风头都抢尽了。姜不愧是老的辣! 演技派大叔真不是盖的!

I also like this part when Sun Mi and Son Oh Gong were discussing about the differences between demons and humans.

She mentioned that human feelings are fleeting and they don’t stay the same forever, but Oh Gong mentioned that for demons, once they have ascertained that you are a friend, they will fight alongside you till the end. Once betrayed, they will pay with their lives.

Well, I guess that’s why there’s a saying 人是善变的。

All in all, I enjoyed this drama, despite the very bad CGI for the Finale Fighting scene.It’s a fantasy rom-com that teaches you how to love and also believe in yourself.Read More →