Down With Love (2010)

This show started off well. The first 5-6 episodes were a delight to watch. BUT IT UNDERWENT A HUGE CRASH AFTER THAT. I was on the verge of dropping it but i didn't. IT DRAGGED A LOT WITH NO SUBSTANTIAL PLOT.
STORY; The plot was not original but it was fun to watch, watch it if you like the actor.
CHARACTERS; all the actors have great calibre. But surprisingly, the main lead was not at all like described. He is sweet, not rude and definitely not selfish. He smiles and is caring. I had a problem with the female lead. She proved super annoying to me. Yeah, she was cute but I personally didn't like her.
the second leads portrayed their roles well although i skipped most of their scenes.
OST: Cute but not memorable.
REWATCH VALUE; i don't think i will watch it again.
+The main lead is super cute.
+I didn't have second lead syndrome.
+Some comedy scenes were genuinely funny.
-Absolutely no romance. Only one or two kisses.
-The plot dragged a lot.
-the middle episodes had no meaning.
-you will forget this easily as you get absolutely nothing from the drama.

Read More

(Watched this without any particular interest in Jerry or Ella.)
The series starts alright from episodes 2-8. Chapters 9-12 drag and are all about ML and ex-girlfriend, plus FL and the interior designer-- I found them boring, skipped a lot and watched a 2x speed just to get the gist.
The last 4 chapters when the romance between the lead characters takes off… these episodes are precious and make DWL one of the best rom-com series. Long and lingering scenes, and several chapters that are touching, sweet and funny. Very few series manage to deliver this. I welcome suggestions to other rom-coms that can accomplish 2-4 consecutive chapters of fun, moving sweetness. Most only deliver a few scenes here and there, and/or end the show when the complication-free romance is finally happening between the protagonists. If you have the patience to endure, fast forward or skip the predictable beginning-- the main couple's story is worth it.

Read More

I picked this one up because the reviews seemed very promising, but I didn't find that it deserved such a big rating as 9, but obviously not the mediocre 5 that some gave to it, so I'll cut it down to where it delievered and where it fell short.

The plot is not original, but it's well-executed and more concentrated on friendships and frankly I thought the original setting would last much longer, but it changed abruptly after first third of the drama, and I think that was a good change. There's nothing overly drastic going on, but it's a cutesy slice of life tale, so to say.

The acting was great, I really like the spunk that Ella Chen brought to her character, and Jerry Jan played a mature character who gets overly childish when in love, so it was cute to see that. Chen Zi Han's role was near to useless, they shrunk down her character to dreadful and it was rather annoying to watch that just for the sake of the plot. For me, the most interesting character was Huang Kelly(main role's sister), because she was the most grounding and natural in her role.

The soundtrack is very mushy and cute, and the other songs aren't very memorable, but they were timed well with the scenes, so I don't have anything to complain about there.

I wouldn't rewatch this drama because there's not enough love scenes between the main couple (even though episodes are an hour and a half long...multiply that by 16 and there you go!), there's too much accent put on the second pairing which grew very weak for me quite fast; they also used some characters as a poor excuse for forwarding the plot, to the point that you barely even care about them later on...not nice.

I give it a seven because I liked a lot about this drama, starting from a strong female lead that amused me a lot (especially in the first half), interesting relation dynamics, moderate amount of angst, lots of chemistry not only between the main couple, but the others as well. On the other side, I found it lacked the plot in second part, especially near the end, I also found the ending itself very rushed and a bit overbearing...and transitions in relationships, like wow, seriously? Though, the cast is very interesting, and it's worth giving it a shot.

Read More

I see a lot of series lately and this is one of the worst for me anyway. In the beginning I thought something nice different Find a lot of series myself from history to school drama. All those faces she pulled and I didn't find her a strong personality. Then the second lead actress. Boy, say she had to introduce a famous actress but I only saw a nagging and manipulative woman.He was in love with her from almost the beginning, but only at the end did they get something. So I really didn't like it. Romance, I didn't like it either. The children were nice to see and the protagonist was the only one I was for. watched.

Read More

Funny drama, to watch for the great chemistry in the CL

Super cast (Jerry Yan & Ella Chen) and very good plot (cold lawyer / tomboy who pretends to be "lesbian" to get a job as a nanny).
But some flaws:
- The Comedy side is a bit forced.
- the sets and costumes are dated :(

The actors are all great and manage to bring the story to life despite the flaws.

OTP interactions are tasty and chemistry just perfect!
I particularly appreciate the end, the fact that the drama does not end (as usual) with the proposal, but that the episode shows their life after...

Nothing remarkable in the OSTs, which accompany the narration correctly.

BUT, WHY ??? the choice to broadcast bloopers at breaks during an episode, spoiling the emotional impact of the drama. This is once again an excessive Comedy aspect...

Last remark; the video (from 2010) is lox- quality (too pixelated) => watched only on a small screen.
Pity !!

Funny drama, to watch for the great achemy in the CL

Read More

Had to rewatch it again immediately because the tagalized version was way too edited, (I don't see why in Philippine TV they cut so many scenes) i think there is more to the subplots like the older sister's story and all. Not really annoyed though, i love Ella Chen and it's refreshing to see Jerry Yan being comedic all over again. Antics are great! Also, you can see the brilliance with the characters, even the supporting ones like Yu Fei, the little niece. Girl can really be that smart specifically in the later episodes. Not a single character is wasted in the story - character development is well executed and the antogonist/s are redeemed as well.

OSTs are wonderful, I have added them to my Spotify playlist already! Hehehe..

Read More

I really liked this drama. In terms of production it's not the best drama that I've seen. But the characters and actors' portrayal are amazing. Every little character is developed and you learn to like and understand everybody. All actors in this drama have amazing chemistry: the love interests, the family, the friends, and even the group of young lawyers at the firm. I don't know if it's due to an amazing casting director or a great writer. Maybe both.
At the end I almost forgot that it was all make belief and not a real family in front of me. The casting choices are excellent, the acting is great, the directing and writing is really, really  good. This drama made me laugh and think and for that reason will always stay with me.

Read More

Funny and relaxing

It is so silly that becomes hilarious.

One of the best comedies, not because of the plot, but it is heartwarming, it has funny lines and the actors are really really good at this.
Ella is definitely the best actress for the role.

It begins in an odd way, it looks silly in the first episodes, but before you drop it it hooks you up. All the characters are overreacting making the funny parts even funnier. It is the absolute example that something might have so many bad moments, so bad, that they turn to be good.

If you like romance, need to relax, have a nice time and cheer up a bit, this is the best choice.

Read More