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Completed
Boss & Me
11 people found this review helpful
Dec 31, 2022
40 of 40 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 5.0
Story 3.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

Butchered adaptation. Rename show- do NOT call it "Boss + Me". Show saved by Push / Aom.

*** SPOILERS ***
This show is stressful and not sweet unlike original TV adaptation and book.

For those interested, these are the episodes for:
8- the corporate field trip
12- corporte party, almost kiss
15- main leads start and kiss
35- main leads reconcile and sleep together

After watching, then reading the original Chinese Boss + Me...
forget it if you are expecting anything remotely as splendid as the original Chinese show and book.

Unlike other Thai adaptations-- this one is about 80% negativity!!
Frankly, this is a re-write of "Boss + Me".
This show is just like any of those Thai lakorns (which are full of hatred, poisonous and violent antagonists).
There are girls who want the MLs in both the C- and T-shows, but in the C-version, viewers will find believable jealousy, lies, harping, and mean girls. In contrast, the T-version barrages viewers with in an incessant string of problems by antagonists (girlssss and boys obsessing for the ML, FL, and the cousin). This lakorn is full of non-sense! Why bother calling it B+M when the original TV C-show and book were full of sweetness?

Thanks that we viewers did not have to endure amnesia nor a truck hitting one of the leads…!!
Yet this T-version did add violence: blackmailing, kidnapingSS, stabbing-pregnancy-killing, pushing down the stairs, drowning, comma, arson, 2 types of cancer, lies galore, verbal-mental-physical types of harassments/abuses/assaults, obsession, psychos (and attempted rapes? I skipped those scenes)… did I forget anything else?!?!??!! (By the way, I tried to add these tags to the description page to forewarn viewers, but all were declined by MDL. Had I seen these tags, I would have not watched this and sully my sweet memories of the original works.)

This Thai show uses "elements" of the original Chinese storyline, but it has way too many bad things going on. This T-drama could be named anything else… calling it “Boss & Me” is misleading.

If one wants to give this Thai version the "benefit of the doubt" and insiste on calling this an “adaptation inspired” by the original show… one will end up annoyed, if not upset. One thing is to twist the plot here and there (for example, "You are my heartbeat" for "Fox's Summer")... another thing is to change and add so much that the new adaptation is writing another drama.

Unlike other excellent Thai adaptations (eg, You are my heartbeat for Fox's Summer, Kiss Me for Itazura Na Kiss, and Full House Thai for the Korean original version), this T-version of B+M was a royal disappointment. It was sad because I was looking forward to enjoying another T-adaptation.
(For the record-- No, I am not a fan of Aom and/or Mike Angelo. I feel that both happen to portray the best of 10 adaptations of Itazura Na Kiss… and the Thai version of Full House is sweeter than the original Korean version.) (I am not a fan of the main leads, but the Chinese FL did an excellent job portraying her character in the C-drama. In contrast, I liked Push, the ML in the Thai adaptation better than the Chinese ML in the original C-show.)

I enjoyed watching so much the original Chinese show that I read the book afterwards. I felt that the TV drama was significantly better than the English translated version of the actual novel. In the C-show, one can enjoy watching the FL’s journey as she develops her character/career/intellect, matures as a person, and learns to love/live with the person she falls for. Viewers also see a FL learning to adapt socio-EQ to her new status without losing her independence and sweetness. I did not feel much character advancement/development in the Thai FL version. Yes, the main couple goes through problems, but the Chinese drama simply radiates positivity.

The one good thing better in this Thai adaptation is that "the in-love Thai ML" is much sweeter than the Chinese ML in the original show. Also, watch this Thai version if you're interested in Push (ML) and/or Aom (FL).

THANK YOU VERY MUCH for the English TV subtitles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Completed
Hapimari: Happy Marriage!?
8 people found this review helpful
Oct 15, 2016
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
Splendid show. This drama is much better than the manga.
I watched this series prior to reading the book (which I only decided to read after so many people claimed how much better the manga was…) Because I was not married to the book before watching the show-- unlike many others, I was able to appreciate and enjoy the six-hour TV series for what it is. This is a sweet adaptation given its limited budget-- 12 episodes (each 30 minutes) "inspired" by the original 40-chapter manga. (I found this is a much closer and sweeter adaptation compared to some other "adaptations" I've seen where the TV shows butcher the original story.)

COMPARING TV vs ORIGINAL MANGA
Firstly, the FL is always crying in the manga. She might have had a better office job in the manga, but I found her character weaker and very annoying, in general. In the book, the ML is royally handicapped when expressing his affection-- except when sleeping with his wife. In contrast, both leads are more responsive and communicative in the TV show.
Their feelings and frustrations are all bottled up for 66% of the manga. She gets upset with him, throws tantrums, locks herself up in their bedroom for over half the manga… She is capable of fully discussing feelings with her friends and office mates, but unwilling to communicate/work and hash matters out with her husband in the book.
We already know that ML is emotionally challenged…
Mind you that ML is a senior executive putting intense hours in a highly politically charged environment for him to be trying to second guess FL's annoying and repetitive lower-school mood swings and silence… I find that their character development is better in the TV show and as couple they grow to have better quality time together. Plus, Dean Fujioka and Seino Nana make a nice couple. In fact, I hope Dean gets to lead many more rom-com's.

Yes, the drama changes the details of the plot and the personalities/story of the secondary characters. However, the gist of the love story and plot is there and I care significantly more about the protagonists' story.

The 6-hour TV show is sweet and to the point (compared to the 40-chapter manga, which I found draggy). Sorry to those who started watching this expecting the same storyline and could not enjoy the show. I do wish this series had more episodes…

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Completed
Down With Love
3 people found this review helpful
Feb 11, 2015
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
This review may contain spoilers
(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.

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Completed
Mars
1 people found this review helpful
Feb 7, 2016
13 of 13 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
(I did not know Vic Zhou or Barbie Hsu when I watched this. In fact, I watched Meteor Garden way after Mars.)
Mars is one of the most memorable romantic series I have watched. I do not write reviews normally since I don't believe I'll contribute much after so many other reviews. That said, after watching over 1000 shows/movies by now, there are a few that I find outstanding. Mars was probably one of the first 50 shows I watched and deserves significant praise after experiencing so many other shows.
The love story is simple but the main leads acting makes Mars fantastic.
It is beautiful to see how the ML winning over the FL; how those two fall in love; and, how they hold and help each other as they grow...
I must say I did not like it when the plot turned dark with the psycho; however, that is how the author wrote the story.
By the way, after this show, I decided to watch other Barbie Hsu and Vic Zhou's works-- Mars is the best.
I highly recommend watching this series!

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Completed
Oh! My Lady
1 people found this review helpful
Feb 11, 2015
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers
I had no idea who Shi Won was before this show. Having watched too many rom-coms, I found the main leads story well written and well paced. One can easily skip the side story of the producer and dance instructor. The SFL is not poisonous and one can skip her scenes too. The first chapter is blah-- however, the story becomes better and better as chapters fly by. Approximately towards the last third of the series (chapters 11 and especially 12), when the ML instinctively starts protecting the FL-- these chapters are touching and sweet. Not all dramas manage to accomplish this when attempted. I wish the ending and romance between the protagonists had been stretched more.

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