Cast: Show Luo, Rainie Yang
Story: I had an odd feeling of deja vu when I first watched Hi My Sweetheart, because in some ways the story is very similar to Momo Love, only gender reversed (it’s the guy who’s overprotected here). The only son of a wealthy, deceased father, Xue Hai (Show Luo) is raised by his two older sisters, the eldest of whom is now the head of the family and extremely overprotective. Desperate to escape his enclosed world, Xue Hai manages to convince his sister to let him go away to college in Shanghai, but his joy is short-lived when his sister decides to come with him.
Once there, Xue Hai’s innocence and overt dorkiness quickly make him the target of bullying, from which he is rescued by Chen Bao Zhu (Rainie Yang), the “bad girl” of the school who is as assertive as he is meek. The two forge a unique bond and Bao Zhu becomes Xue Hai’s first love. But when Bao Zhu moves back to Taiwan, a misunderstanding causes Xue Hai to believe that Bao Zhu abandoned him, and he transforms into a hunk in order to get revenge.
My take: Hi My Sweetheart is like every other over-the-top Taiwanese drama out there, only I’m rather inclined to think that in this case they overdid it a little. The ridiculousness edges toward the downright silly instead of the enjoyably fun sometimes, particularly in the opening sequence in which he’s leaving home (example: his sister manages to catch up with and single-handedly stop a speeding car). And before you ask, no, I am not a fan of the pink panther – it’s not adorable, it’s not cute, it’s just silly. (And, a major quibble: did they have to make Show Luo so ugly? I get that his character calls for dorkiness – but really, the lengths they must have gone to in order to transform one of Taiwan’s hottest stars into this is beyond my ability to comprehend).
Having said that, Hi My Sweetheart has potential – the “first meeting” of Xue Hai and Bao Zhu, when he overhears her reading aloud a wistful love story, was quite well-done, as was the moment when they’re both on the plane and the camera pans back and two arrows appear pointing to their relative positions on the plane – cuuute.
The highlight of this drama thus far, however, has definitely been Rainie Yang, in an about-turn from her previous cutesy roles(which, for the record, I hugely enjoyed) as a badass with attitude who cows her fellow students with a single flick of her black-nail-polished hands. The drama picked up speed as soon as she appeared, with some of the over-the-top elements falling into place as extensions of the Xue Hai/Bao Zhu relationship being set up(the black clouds which follow her around? hilarious!). I am crossing my fingers that the drama fulfills its promise and drops some of the silliness so that it can really take advantage of its actors’ talents.
Once there, Xue Hai’s innocence and overt dorkiness quickly make him the target of bullying, from which he is rescued by Chen Bao Zhu (Rainie Yang), the “bad girl” of the school who is as assertive as he is meek. The two forge a unique bond and Bao Zhu becomes Xue Hai’s first love. But when Bao Zhu moves back to Taiwan, a misunderstanding causes Xue Hai to believe that Bao Zhu abandoned him, and he transforms into a hunk in order to get revenge.
My take: Hi My Sweetheart is like every other over-the-top Taiwanese drama out there, only I’m rather inclined to think that in this case they overdid it a little. The ridiculousness edges toward the downright silly instead of the enjoyably fun sometimes, particularly in the opening sequence in which he’s leaving home (example: his sister manages to catch up with and single-handedly stop a speeding car). And before you ask, no, I am not a fan of the pink panther – it’s not adorable, it’s not cute, it’s just silly. (And, a major quibble: did they have to make Show Luo so ugly? I get that his character calls for dorkiness – but really, the lengths they must have gone to in order to transform one of Taiwan’s hottest stars into this is beyond my ability to comprehend).
Having said that, Hi My Sweetheart has potential – the “first meeting” of Xue Hai and Bao Zhu, when he overhears her reading aloud a wistful love story, was quite well-done, as was the moment when they’re both on the plane and the camera pans back and two arrows appear pointing to their relative positions on the plane – cuuute.
The highlight of this drama thus far, however, has definitely been Rainie Yang, in an about-turn from her previous cutesy roles(which, for the record, I hugely enjoyed) as a badass with attitude who cows her fellow students with a single flick of her black-nail-polished hands. The drama picked up speed as soon as she appeared, with some of the over-the-top elements falling into place as extensions of the Xue Hai/Bao Zhu relationship being set up(the black clouds which follow her around? hilarious!). I am crossing my fingers that the drama fulfills its promise and drops some of the silliness so that it can really take advantage of its actors’ talents.
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