Madam Cutie on Duty (2015)

I've been shying away from HK drama all this time. Probably because I usually do it in waves. Japanese gave way to Korean, then Taiwanese and Chinese. Once I watch all the dramas I really feel like, I move on to the next language. That being said, this was my HK drama and I loved it! ^_^

Story: Two cops go undercover (or are forced to) into a public housing community as a married couple to find out about a loan-shark company supposedly operating from there. As expected, they keep bickering with each other, while slowly falling in love. Or are they already in love?

Law Dai Shu / Paul: An uptight officer, whose mother ran away with his family's money to get plastic surgery done. Since then, he hates people who go for plastic surgery. Has been dating the same girl for 7-8 years, but they gradually grow apart and break up. He goes undercover as a plumber and soon becomes popular with the ladies for his looks.

Fa Ping / Apple: After being teased for being ugly as a child, she believes that becoming beautiful can change her life. After a life-changing plastic surgery, she becomes popular with men. Has a soft corner for fellow officer, but Paul was her first love. She initially hates him since she heard him telling his friends that he'll never date such an ugly girl, but gradually realizes all that he's been through in life and the spark of love ignites again. (Banzai!) Though she's a spoilt young lady, she soon picks up the habits of housewives like bargaining and cooking. Her transformation is a real treat to watch.

The chemistry between the two is amazing throughout. It is entertaining without being clingy or overbearing. It is pretty much a one-track romance as his (ex-)gf and her crush hardly play an important role and are soon shown to be not worthy of the protagonists - so much better than unrequited true love and buckets of tears. As they live together, they come to understand the importance of having someone to care for. Their parents, especially his father and her mother are amusing as they try to interfere in the love lives of their children. Their senior officer with his T.I.A.O. ("This is an order!") is hilarious to say the least. He picks up new and crazy spots for their secret meetings every time - you just can't keep waiting for where/how he'll turn up next. I didn't pay much attention to the other housewives, but they did their part. The ending is a simple feel-good one without any major twists. Overall, this is a drama I'd highly recommend if you're looking for a light-hearted romcom.

Rewatch: If I have time, definitely!

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This was the first HK drama I watched and I really enjoyed it; I've fallen in love with HK dramas ever since. I think HK dramas are pretty underrated but I know they're not for everyone. HK dramas tend to have simple plots, unless they involve crime-solving/police, and they generally film in the same select few scenes/areas. For example, a drama might have a lot of scenes where characters are talking in the same cafeteria, someone's house, or some bar/cafe that a character owns, etc. They're definitely not like kdramas where every plot is super different but super good, so HK dramas tend to be a hit or a miss, even for me. I watched this drama while it was still airing and I was always so excited for the next episode to come out, which is pretty rare for me nowadays. While waiting for the new ep, I'd often rewatch the last aired episode because I just liked it that much. Personally, I dig simple plots as long as there's lots of romance between ML and FL, and this drama hits the spot.

The plot is straightforward and basically revolves around ML and FL solving one case. More of the time is spent on the three housewives' families and ML/FL's lives and issues (so four couples/families) rather than that single case itself, which I didn't mind because it's rom-com, not mystery/thriller. You get to see ML and FL learn to deal with each other since they're temporarily living together and you also get to see them form real relationships with the housewives and their families. I think the main reason the plot sucked me in so much is that there isn't really a love triangle for the main chars and any potential love interests for either main lead is brief. There aren't really any of the typical misunderstandings and breakups or second lead syndrome either! Everything is just super straightforward, minimal twists, and a satisfying ending :)

Currently rewatching for the 3rd or 4th time as I type this review, so you can see how much I like it. I ship them so much, and the main actor and actress got married irl :D I do recommend if you want a simple but straightforward and romantic drama. One of my favorite HK dramas that isn't police/crime story.

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