born again: Autumn's Concerto & Fated to Love You-Impressions

I'm pretty much a newbie when it comes to Taiwanese Dramas so this is through the lenses of an unexperienced but enthusiastic viewer.

Below is information on some of the T-dramas I have watched and their respective information.

Rating System: 1st #-how much I enjoyed it. 2nd #-how objectively good I think it was

System is borrowed from who knows who; everyone uses it.

SPOILER ALERT

下一站，幸福－Autumn's Concerto

Link to first episode: http://www.hulu.com/watch/367037

Link to last episode: http://www.hulu.com/watch/400764

Average Rating (Taiwanese System): 5.80%

Personal Rating: 10/10

(Creds to DramaWiki for Synopsis):

Ren Guang Xi, a cocky law student, seems to lead the perfect life. He's the sole successor to a huge and famous business and a talented ice hockey player. But in reality, his lonely life lacks joy, laughter and motivation. That is until he meets Liang Mu Cheng, the new bento seller at his school canteen. Although orphaned at a young age, Mu Cheng does not let her past affect her and lives life with great passion and determination. A harmless bet brings the two together and Guang Xi slowly changes as Mu Cheng teaches him how to give and love. Tragedy strikes when Guang Xi suddenly has to go through a major brain surgery which causes him to lose his memory. His mother begs Mu Cheng to leave him and the latter has no choice but to do so. Little does she know that she already has Guang Xi's child.

This drama is the epitome of love! Not only does it reflect love in a girlfriend/boyfriend sense, it also mirrors a more matured love through the sacrifices each of the characters make for one another (mother to son, father to child, friend to friend, etc.). Because many of the characters' actions are influenced by love, watching this drama truly makes you a better person. There's so much meaning to the characters; each with their own struggles and oases of happiness. It's definitely an emotional and sometimes painful watch, but the best thing about it is that each sorrow results in even more hope. What I really liked is that the director doesn't jerk tears out of you for the sake of jerking tears; she puts a purpose behind every shed tear (yeah...I know that's weird, but it's true!). Also the chemistry between the three leads (including Xiao Le) is like fuzzy socks! It's so warm and familiar, yet super engaging at the same time. And Xiao Le! Watch it because of Xiao Le!

Production-wise, I thought it was brilliantly put together. The camera angles and blocking were creatively and professionally done. The whole drama had a signature nostalgic tone to it and the OST matched that tone perfectly! Minor things that annoyed me was that Mu Cheng kept hiding the truth from Guang Xi after he got his memory back, but she did it for love, after all (I was so happy when she finally told him the truth!). Also, the poster for Autumn's Concerto doesn't reflect the drama at all! The drama is soo homey and sweet, but the poster's all....depressing. Take a look:

They're all looking down (literally) and depressed-like!! Initially, I didn't want to watch this drama because of the poster, but I realized what a mistake I made. You've. got. to. watch. it. It's the most meaningful thing I've ever seen and you will definitely love it to death.

命中注定我愛你－Fated To Love You

Link to first episode (Eng Subbed & HD man!): http://www.hulu.com/watch/423706

Link to last episode: http://www.hulu.com/watch/430482

Average Rating (Taiwanese System): 7.44%

Personal Rating: 10/8.5

This drama is about an office lady (Chen Xin Yi) who has the personality of a doormat (thus, she is constantly being taken advantage of) and a rich soap business man, Ji Cun Xi. On a night full of misunderstandings, Chen Xin Yi ends up pregnant and Ji Cun Xi is the father. Cun Xi decides to take responsibility and marries Xin Yi, leading to their fateful love story together...

I was literally in a trance while watching this drama; the absurdity yet creativity of the whole plot was captivating and hilarious. Despite being crazily unpredictable at every single moment, I was impressed by the growth of both the main characters and learned to empathize with both of them deeply (they grow on you so much). The chemistry between them was so fresh and had this vibrant, yet familiar energy about it! Watching this drama is definitely an emotional rollercoaster (although it tends to lean towards the light-hearted side near the end). I absolutely love Ji Cun Xi (if you don't like him, you'll probably not like the drama, so test the first episode).

However, critically speaking, the plot was stretched out way too long (not necessarily in the beginning, but near the end). I felt that some of the dialogue, especially between side characters, was irrelevant to the plot and the main characters. This isn't meant to be a realistic drama, but at some points I felt like the character's actions crossed the line between a sweet fantasy and absolutely ridiculous. The production values and overall editing was satisfactory (the special effects were...interesting), but I've definitely seen better.

Nevertheless, I highly recommend this drama to everyone! The plot, while somewhat cliche, has many refreshing creative twists! It will definitely make you laugh and cry!

我可能不會愛你－In Time With You