TVB Anniversary Awards 2019: Predictions and Picks

Another year, another disappointing list of nominations and lack of competition...

Best Actor

Top 5: Philip Keung, Benjamin Yuen, Kenneth Ma, Vincent Wong, Joel Chan
Predicted Winner: Kenneth
Most Deserving: Philip
Personal Choice: N/A

Will Kenneth finally win or will Philip pull an upset as the dark-horse candidate? Kenneth's character was disappointingly uncomplicated and unchallenging in an otherwise relatively solid series so watching him win for this series will not be as rewarding, but there is no doubt that he has been passed over for Best Actor time and time again. If Philip does pull an upset, Kenneth will have "The Exorcist's Meter 2.0" next year and "Ma Kwai" is a much stronger character though not particularly challenging to play either. Just please don't give the poor guy "Favorite Character" again.

Best Actress

Top 5: Kara Wai, Miriam Yeung, Selena Li, Natalie Tong, Nancy Wu
Predicted Winner: Miriam Yeung
Most Deserving: Did not watch The Defected and have not finished Barrack O'Karma, so hard to say
Personal Choice: N/A

It's Kara v. Miriam v. Selena, which is quite an interesting frontrunner list given that none of these artists are TVB managed artists (or in Selena's case, not TVB managed anymore), so the typical TVB politics/favorites game will not help you guess the winner. Kara is disadvantaged from "The Defected" having aired so much earlier in the year, so it's likely between Miriam and Selena. Miriam likely has the edge.

Favorite Male Character

Top 5: Benjamin, Kenneth, Joel, Vincent, Pakho Chau
Predicted Winner: Joel
Most Deserving: Joel?
Personal Choice: Pakho

Pakho's "Ho Tin" is my favorite character of the year. He is arguably too good to be true, but works as a better developed twist on the rich second-generation archetype that Pakho plays with charisma and likability. Benjamin may be rewarded for losing 20 pounds for his character in "The Defected," but has won this award before and like with Kara, is disadvantaged by the series' early air date. Given the critical acclaim of "Barrack O'Karma," Joel could likely inch out the others for this award.

Favorite Female Character

Top 5: Natalie, Selena, Miriam, Mandy Lam, Koni Lui
Predicted Winner: Selena
Most Deserving: Selena
Personal Choice: Mandy

If Selena does not win Best Actress, it will feel like a slap in the face for her to not win this award. Then again, I said something similar about Mandy Wong for "Threesome" last year, and look what happened there...

Mandy is not as much of a screen stealer in "Lo and Behold" this year since her character has left the company and become the lady boss at her and Jack's bar, but remains one of my favorite characters to watch.

Best Supporting Actor

Top 5: Tsui Wing, Matthew Ho, Eric Li, Stanley Cheung, Tony Hung
Predicted Winner: Eric
Most Deserving: Eric
Personal Choice: Eric

I actually have no idea who will win. This is a rehash for those who follow me on Twitter, but while I’m indifferent to all the other categories this year, I do feel passionately Eric should win. TVB has long typecast him into minor villain supporting roles but he has always performed well with the material given to him. He played a villain again in “The Man Who Kills Trouble,” but this time as the first supporting male in a meaty character who gets a redemption arc. He has great screen presence as the triad leader, and while his redemption arc is quite condensed, he gives a subtle performance in the last few episodes that prevents his redemption from feeling abrupt. What was abrupt though was Eric’s departure from TVB after receiving his largest role to date. He likely would have had a good chance at winning given he has received positive reception and attention for the series had he not left, but no longer a managed artist, TVB has nothing to gain. It’s anyone’s game now considering no other candidate who has generated much buzz, so I’ll hold onto hope Eric can emerge victorious.

I am pleasantly surprised though at the number of nominations long-running sitcom “Lo and Behold” received, particularly in this category. While the quality TVB’s dramas has left much to be desired for years, the sitcom has consistently been entertaining and fun.

Best Supporting Actress

Top 5: Moon Lau, Katy Kung, Jeannie Chan, Samantha Ko, Zoie Tam
Predicted Winner: Moon
Most Deserving: N/A
Personal Choice: Koni
Snub: Koni and Joyce Tang for “Lo and Behold”

Andrea So gets a nomination, but not Koni? Joyce has at least been previously nominated. The sitcom is now in its third year and Koni has yet to receive an acting nomination (though she is nominated for Favorite Character). She has improved significantly as an actress and is natural and entertaining.

As per usual with this category in the last few years, I'm just making random guesses now. TVB just likes awarding younger actresses it is preparing itself to heavily promote. My gut says the award will go to Moon or Jeannie. Jeannie had the more interesting character in "The Ghetto Fabulous Lady" it seems, but Moon is the better and more charismatic actress.

Most Improved Actor
Predicted Winner: Owen Cheung
Most Deserving: Owen
Personal Choice: Kalok Chow

Will TVB take pity on Owen for shelving all his series? I expected him to win last year so this is probably his year. Kalok Chow has great comedic timing in "Lo and Behold" and seems to have improved considerably since the sitcom first started.

Most Improved Actress
Predicted Winner: Kelly Cheung
Most Deserving: Gloria Tang
Personal Choice: Iris Lam

Kelly is the most heavily promoted of the bunch and has already been cast in leading roles. Gloria has improved a ton since her unwatchable early roles. I thought Iris showed potential in "Lo and Behold," but she got to shine in "Girlie Days" as Kristal Tin's daughter. I usually don't care for the young daughter and son roles, but Iris was incredibly natural, sweet, and charming and the actress herself seems passionate about acting.

Best Partnership
Predicted Winner: Joel and Selena
Most Deserving: Joel and Selena
Personal Choice: N/A

Four nominations for "Lo and Behold"! I do like Koni and Stanley in the sitcom a lot, but don't feel incredibly strongly about anyone. If Joel and Selena somehow manage to not get any major award, they should at the very least get this one since their pairing was so well-loved. Mandy Lam and Jack Hui are another possibility, but the buzz for the pairing has died down since Mandy's win last year.

Best Theme Song
Predicted Winner: "Can You Hear Me" by Kayee Tam for "Big White Duel"
Personal Choice: Theme song by Miriam Yeung for "Wonder Women"

I really like Kayee's voice and glad she has gotten to sing more theme songs, but goodness this song was overplayed and had awkward and cringeworthy English lyrics. Why are TVB's English subtheme songs so bad? How hard is it to have someone check the lyrics for grammar? Meanwhile, I recently watched HKTV's 2015 series "The Menu" for the first time, and thought the English sub theme "Can't Let Go" was absolutely lovely. Amazing how writing decent, grammatically correct English lyrics can help!

Best Drama

Predicted Winner: Big White Duel
Most Deserving: Barrack O'Karma
Personal Choice: Wonder Woman

"Big White Duel" is the safe choice as it was both a heavily-promoted series that was both critically and commercially successful (at least by TVB's standards these days). Barrack O'Karma is the black horse candidate though that could very likely win too.

TVB Anniversary Awards 2017: Results + Comments

Global Netizen’s Favorite Drama: “The Exorcist’s Meter”

Not a surprise and well-deserved. I’m so glad TVB didn’t give this to “Line Walker 2” and always love a good underdog story. This series had a low budget and the farest thing from a star-studded cast, but heart and creativity. There probably isn’t any other series in the last few years that dealt with the subject of human loss and love so well, much less while tying together supernatural elements.

Most Improved Actor: Mat Yeung

I said “Matthew” out loud just as the winner was announced and was completely blindsided in the best way possible when Mat’s name was announced instead. I pegged Mat as having no chance, especially as the two drama series he is nominated for did not receive much attention. Yes he’s overqualified for the award, and perhaps Owen deserved it most solely in terms of actual improvements in acting, but I am so happy that he has finally received recognition. Next stop, best supporting actor with the big boys?

Most Improved Actress: Mayanne Mak

I was totally surprised by this, and don’t watch variety shows so I cannot give an opinion as to whether or not Mayanne deserves it. From all the applause and cheers she received, it seems like she did, and in that respect I’m happy for her. However, I still think TVB needs to separate out the most improved acting and hosting categories. I’m mostly just glad Jacqueline Wong didn’t win (sorry Kenneth).

Most Popular Drama Theme Song: Hubert Wu’s theme song for “The Exorcist’s Meter”

Woo so happy Hana didn’t win for her sub theme for “Line Walker 2”! This is definitely my favorite theme song of the year. No complaints. So glad Hubert, who is a far superior singer, finally nabbed this award out of the hands of Jinny, Hana, and Co. Also loved the "Hearts of Fencing" reunion. When I first heard the theme song by 2R start playing, I was wondering why it sounded so familiar before I was flooded with memories of the series.

Most Favorite Onscreen Partnership: Edwin Siu, Raymond Cho, and Matthew Ho for “A General, A Scholar, And An Eunuch”

I didn’t actually put this down as my prediction, but did expect this would be a very likely scenario. Edwin, Raymond, and Matthew were such a fun ensemble with chemistry while each having comedic talent in their own right. Edwin looked completely surprised and unprepared when giving the acceptance speech though, which was quite funny.

Best Supporting Actor: Joel Chan for “The Unholy Alliance”

Top 5: Joel Chan, Jimmy Au, Andrew Yuen, Owen Cheung, Anthony Ho

This category was obviously one “The Unholy Alliance” co-star versus another. In the end, I’m not surprised Joel won, and that is more fitting anyway because as solid of an actor as Jimmy is, his bodyguard role in the series probably could not even have been considered a supporting role. Joel was one of the more emotional people of the night, which makes sense given he was given a second opportunity at TVB and has experienced so much more success this time around after putting in a lot of hard work. I’m looking forward to seeing more of Joel. It was sweet seeing Elaine present the award to Joel and tearing up behind him as he gave his speech, before regaining composure and watching him in admiration.

Best Supporting Actress: Rebecca Zhu for “A General, A Scholar, And An Eunuch”

Top 5: Rebecca Zhu, Tracy Chu, Mandy Lam, Elaine Yiu, Sharon Chan

I don’t think I’ve ever been so genuinely offended and confused by an anniversary awards winner in my life? While I did not agree with Katy and Elaine’s wins in the last two years for this award, at least they were for meaty roles. Meanwhile, Rebecca had the least to do of all the females in “A General.” She stood around and flirted with Matthew sometimes. What’s even more offensive is that her co-star Grace Wong did not even place into a top 5 despite giving a far superior, more entertaining performance. However, I was pleasantly surprised Mandy Lam placed for “Lo and Behold.” I haven’t been watching it, but been hearing good things about her and always like it when actors from sitcoms can get short-listed. Either Tracy, Mandy, or Elaine winning would have been better than Rebecca. And this is saying a lot, considering Tracy only had a guest starring role and Elaine gave a typical performance and already previously won. I can’t believe Sharon was short-listed for her cringeworthy, adulterer role in “Heart and Greed 3” either. This has been one of the weakest categories in the last few years, but Rebecca’s win is probably one of the most uncalled for and unfair since Fala first won in 2007 very shortly after debuting.

Favorite Male Character: Kenneth Ma for “The Exorcist’s Meter”

Top 5: Kenneth Ma, Vincent Wong, Moses Chan, Edwin Siu, Benjamin Yuen

Most of us definitely called this. “Ma Kwai” is definitely one of the most easily likable characters of the year. All the top five nominees’ characters were likable though, which is a nice change from some categories sometimes not even having one solid nominee recently.

Favorite Female Character: Sisley Choi for “Legal Mavericks”

Top 5: Sisley Choi, Natalie Tong, Nancy Wu, Mandy Wong, Ali Lee

Slightly surprising, but not that much considering it’s TVB. Sisley should have been nominated for and won Most Improved Actress instead. If we are looking solely at character, I really did like her “Din Jie” character, which was a refreshing female character who was bad ass, did not care she was unattractive, and was unapologetically herself. I would still easily choose Ali’s “Paris” over Sisley, and am disappointed Ali went home empty-handed despite giving such a solid performance in “My Ages Apart.” Unfortunately, what I dreaded would happen to Ali happened to Sisley instead. She isn’t necessarily undeserving and has genuinely improved, but she won such a major award sooner than others usually do, which has already given her criticism. TVB is hurting Sisley more than helping her by pulling this move, while the audience may have actually been happy for her had she won Most Improved.

I might be in the minority here, but I liked Sisley’s speech about how the criticism she has received for her acting made her question her self-worth, while getting to play this role helped her to finally get some it back. You can tell that the attacks and negative words have really gotten to her, but instead of questioning why people are criticizing her (ahem, Grace Chan), or letting it get the best of her her, but you can also tell she has taken it to heart and tried her best to improve. But yes, it was bizarre that she didn’t actually thank people in her speech. On another note, every main cast member except Mandy deserved praise for “The Exorcist’s Meter,” but here we are. Moon Lau should have taken her place.

Best Actor: Vincent Wong for “Legal Mavericks”

Top 5: Vincent Wong, Kenneth Ma, Ruco Chan, Michael Miu, Moses Chan

Expected, but still satisfying. Vincent obviously knew he was going to win barring an upset by Kenneth, so he was calm and collected and had a well-rehearsed speech. Vincent is a perfect example of someone who may not have as much experience under his belt as other winners (12 years, and just a mere three series as a leading actor), but won based on merit instead of timing, and the luck of receiving a great role he could nail. I would love to see more actors in the future winning based on the merit of performance alone, rather than it just being “the right time” or the luck of being cast in a series with high buzz. I definitely felt Vincent had the potential to win TV King when “Legal Mavericks” and his role was first announced - called it!

Best Actress: Natalie Tong for “My Unfair Lady”

Top 5: Natalie Tong, Jessica Hsuan, Nancy Wu, Nina Paw, Ali Lee

My jaw dropped when Natalie’s name was called. I wasn’t angry like for Rebecca, but I was just shocked. I did not read the reports that Natalie’s fans had been campaigning for her or that she was rumored to sign a new contract in exchange for the award, so I was completely confused. I have liked Natalie for a long time and think she is a good actress, but not Best Actress caliber (she was also in the awkward position of being a second lead in “My Unfair Lady,” neither a leading or supporting actress).

Best Drama: “My Ages Apart”

I’m surprised that TVB didn’t give this award to “Line Walker: The Prelude” and allowed it to go home empty-handed. But if this award was going to go to any other series, I’m not surprised they decided to give it to the anniversary drama that didn’t make a splash, but at least didn’t completely tank (ahem, Heart and Greed). I am very happy this series won though, because it was a refreshing series with a great sense of humor. I am a fan of meta and satirical humor, as well as series that are not afraid to poke fun at themselves. As crazy as the main family and some plot lines could get, you could tell the writers were well-aware of its own absurdity and never took themselves too seriously. It’s something I really wish more TVB comedies could incorporate. And while it understandably dragged sometimes at a whooping length of 50 episodes, with its large ensemble, I did not feel like it dragged significantly more than series that ran just a mere 20 or 30 episodes can sometimes. I wish more people would have tuned in.

TVB Anniversary Awards 2017: My Predictions and Picks

Hello everyone, it's time for my yearly emergence from hibernation! Unfortunately I have had a crazy and busy year, leading me to realize today that my last blog post was from over a year ago (but in my defense, TVB also decided to push back the anniversary awards until the end of January). Since I did not write any reviews this year, this year's awards predictions post is particularly long as it is doubling as a post with my thoughts on the series I've watched this year and the performances I saw.

Best Actor

Top 5: Vincent Wong, Ruco Chan, Michael Miu, Kenneth Ma, Moses Chan
Predicted Winner: Vincent
Most Deserving: Vincent Wong
Personal Choice: Vincent Wong
Snub: Louis Cheung for "My Ages Apart"

I could see this going either way and would be pleased with either, but am giving Vincent an edge over Kenneth. With "Heart of Greed 3" being a complete failure, "My Ages Apart" barely registering a blimp on the radar, and other series starring veterans like Dicky Cheung being pushed to later this year, Vincent’s competition has ended up being much weaker than previously predicted. Kenneth is the only one giving him a run for his money, and it is interesting to see that the major contenders in the Best Actor category for the first time is between two “younger” siu sangs instead of mixed with older veterans.

Timing-wise, it certainly feels like Vincent winning is a little premature, especially given Kenneth has yet to win it. If we were to judge solely on performance though, Vincent deserves it more, as the character was multi-dimensional and called on him to be a range of things from aloof, narcissistic, manipulative, to vulnerable, and even sometimes a little goofy and fun all without being able to communicate without his eyes. I’m sure Vincent will have more interesting roles in the future, but it’s difficult to see a better role for him to win TV King for than “Man Hap,” at least in the near future. Kenneth definitely gives a strong performance as Ma Kwai that makes you feel for his unlikely hero character. He nails his scrappy, laidback, potty mouth character while injecting sentimental ness and emotion so that you can’t help but root for him. Kenneth does so well with what he is given, but he doesn’t get to show as much range or do anything new. This is certainly an appropriate time for him to win, and it would be for a strong character, not to mention for a totally unexpected but nevertheless satisfying underdog series. I’m honestly cheering for both, but still think Vincent deserves it more based on performance alone and has a slight edge.

A notable snub is Louis, who is currently being "frozen" by TVB despite being one of their most valuable actors right now. He gives an enjoyable and solid performance as usual as "Walking," and it's ridiculous that TVB is punishing him for something that was not even in his control, while Tony can get a nomination for "Recipes to Live By."

Best Actress

Top 5: Jessica Hsuan, Nina Paw, Nancy Wu, Ali Lee, Louise Lee
Predicted Winner: Jessica
Most Deserving: *shrugs*
Personal Choice: *shrugs*

It really is sad how weak of categories Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress have become in recent years. My best guess is that Jessica will win because there really isn't anyone else, and "My Unfair Lady" was a success that gave Jessica a resurgence in popularity. I like Jessica and she performed fine, but I couldn't get through the series and did not like her character "Mall Jie." Nina Paw for "The Unholy Alliance" would be a cool choice, but she is certainly a black horse candidate having come from a film career. Then again, Josie Ho unexpectedly won Best Supporting Actress for "Tomorrow is Another Day" in 2014, so it's not impossible. My only hope is that Ali does not win. I genuinely do think she has improved this year, and I have thoroughly enjoyed her performance in "My Ages Apart." She is natural, fun, and cute without being annoying and shows the changes and maturity in her character "Paris."  For her to win Best Actress just a year after winning Most Improved will undoubtedly garner her criticism and hate that she does not deserve.

Favorite Male Character

Top 5: Vincent Wong, Ruco Chan, Benjamin Yuen, Kenneth Ma, Moses Chan
Predicted Winner: Kenneth Ma
Most Deserving: Kenneth Ma
Personal Choice: Kenneth Ma, Hubert Wu
Snub: Louis Cheung for "My Ages Apart"

As stated above, Kenneth plays an unlikely hero, but one that is easy to like and root for nevertheless.  Ma Kwai may be funny, but is also an underdog character who goes from questioning to how he became embroiled in the messy world of the supernatural to accepting his destiny. Should Kenneth win Best Actor over Favorite Male Character, I doubt Vincent will go home empty-handed and instead will receive this. "Man Hap" is definitely an interesting and memorable character, but with his many layers buried under an often arrogant and detached exterior, Ma Kwai was the more easily likable character. Hubert's "Shek Kam Dong" was also endearing and entertaining to watch. I enjoyed seeing him become increasingly aware of the human nature of those around him and going from involuntary alliances with Kenneth to being true friends and "brothers." Louis' "Walking" was also a fun and quirky character and as usual Louis makes him even more likable and dynamic.

Favorite Female Character

Top 5: Natalie Tong, Jessica Hsuan, Nancy Wu, Ali Lee, Tracy Chu
Predicted Winner: Ali
Most Deserving: Ali
Personal Choice: Ali, Moon Lau
Snub: Grace Wong 

I'm surprised Ali was nominated for "My Ages Apart" over "Legal Mavericks" since her "Never Wong" character was quite popular. This may be an unpopular opinion, but I actually personally liked "Paris" more than "Never" since Paris was a more dynamic character where you were able to witness her growth while Never remained static. Paris went from a snobby and immature girl to someone who is much more compassionate, hardworking, and sweet, and I wish Ali had received more attention for the role. With the actress' popularity this year for "Legal Mavericks," it won't be surprising if she goes home with this award, but should a black horse candidate like Nina or someone completely random emerge victorious as TV Queen, I can see Jessica winning this too.

*spoiler alert ahead* 

Moon's character "Bei Bei" in "The Exorcist's Meter" seemed like she would just be a cutesy and idealistic character, but she was also sweet, caring, and pleasantly optimistic, and proved to be such a loyal and genuine friend. She genuinely loved and cared about Kenneth, but it didn’t feel like a blind, foolish one - she just wanted him to be happy and safe. Her somewhat unexpected death was probably the one character death this year that left me sad and wanting to crawl in a corner. I also, completely unexpectedly, quite liked Sisley's "Dang Jie" in "Legal Maverick." While she could be a bit too self-sacrificial at times, I liked the character's strength, loyalty, and how she accepted and embraced who she was (born with buckteeth and the daughter of a triad boss).

One snub I noticed though is Grace Wong, who played a pretty bad ass and fun character in "A General, A Soldier, and An Eunuch." I realize she won this award last year, but surely she still deserved a nomination in what's a ridiculously long list anyway?

Best Supporting Actor

Top 3: Owen Cheung, Jimmy Au, and Joel Chan
Predicted Winner: Jimmy Au
Most Deserving: Jimmy Au
Personal Choice: Jimmy Au

TVB does this ridiculous thing where they do something different for the supporting category almost every year. They've named every single nominee, the top 5, top 2, and last year, the top 3, so that's what I will go with here.

Jimmy Au became a reliable veteran supporting actor that gained a lot of attention after playing a villain in last year's "A Fist Within Four Walls" and then the loyal bodyguard this year in "The Unholy Alliance." Yet, when it came to winning awards, it was his co-star Joel who won in Malaysia. Joel has definitely dedicated himself after being given a second chance from TVB and is a solid actor. However, this category for many years now has been an older (aged 50+) veteran actors club it seems, making Jimmy seem like the more likely winner, though it could easily go either way. I was not particularly impressed by Joel's performance though since he didn't have that much to work with, and I have come to really like Jimmy, from his villainous roles, to his comedic ones like in "Come Home Love," and his dramatic but good and loyal roles like the one he is nominated for. It's always so rewarding to see hardworking actors who have gone unrecognized for decades upon decades finally win an award and receive a standing ovation from their colleagues, and a win for Jimmy would be no different. With that said, Joel is also going into his 20th year into the industry and grown as an actor in his own right, so I wouldn't be mad if he won either.

Best Supporting Actress

Top 3: Tracy Chu, Grace Wong, and Elaine Yiu
Predicted Winner: Grace
Most Deserving: Grace
Personal Choice: Grace

The good news is there is one decently strong nominee for this category in Grace Wong, but the bad news is that it ends there. I'm not sure if I would go as far to say as Grace's performance in "A General, A Soldier, and An Eunuch" is award-worthy, but it was definitely an enjoyable and solid one. Grace has quietly improved as an actress by heaps and bounds over the last few years, and I loved seeing her hold her own as the would-be princess turned modern-day independent woman in this male-dominated series. Plus, she earned praise for her villainous turn in "My Dangerous Mind Hunter," which she probably should have been nominated for instead (though I did not personally watch it). I'm assuming Elaine will find herself onto the short-list as well, even though she and Joel really did not have much to work with in "The Unholy Alliance." Joyce is always a strong actress and I'm still disappointed she lost this award last year despite being a hot choice, but she is nominated for a sitcom this year.

Most Improved Actor

Predicted Winner: Matthew Ho
Most Deserving: Mat or Hugo
Personal Choice: Mat
Snub: Fred Cheng

After the weakest competition I’ve ever seen last year in a usually exciting or at least interesting category, all the nominees in this category actually feel deserved (except maybe host Luk Ho Ming, who I'm not familiar with). None of the actors feel prematurely nominated or too overqualified, with the exception of maybe Mat. Hubert is the weakest actor/nominee of the bunch, but he still played the role of Shek Kam Dong very well, nailing the ancient language the character used as well as the character’s sense of responsibility yet occasional awe at today’s objects. 

This is now Mat’s fourth nomination in this category, having previously been nominated in 2011, 2014, and 2015. Poor guy is always a solid contender every time, but always overshadowed by someone who attracts more buzz, and this year is no different. He just never seems to be in the right series or in one at the right time, and hopefully one of these days he is.

Hugo has caught my eye since his small role and emotional scenes in “Triumph in the Skies II” as Nancy’s early boyfriend. Since then, I’ve found him to be full of potential and easy on the eyes, yet he’s always been stuck in minor roles. With the exodus of actors his luck has changed, and it has been nice to see him in increasingly major roles like the villain in The Exorcist’s Meter. This nomination was well-deserved, and one I was very happy to see.

I did not think much of Owen when I first saw him in "Come Home Love" and went into "Legal Maverick" with no expectations for him as a second lead. Yet I was surprised and impressed by his comic timing. He may have previously been known as a Chilam and Bosco lookalike, but he finally distinguished himself as Owen this year. I would like to see how he fares in a more dramatic and/or soft-spoken role than his usual more loud, upbeat, and comedic ones though before I pin him as an actor who has vastly improved.

One notable snub is Fred. With his baby face, I mostly picture him happy and more cheerful characters, so he really surprised me in "Provocateur" as the vengeful and manipulative protagonist. I never would have thought he could creep me out or scare me, but at many points in this series he did. He was the first person I pegged this year as a contender for Most Improved, and it’s a shame he was barely noticed for his performance.

The winner is obviously going to be Matthew after all the buzz he received for playing an eunuch in “A General, A Scholar, and An Eunuch.” Its a choice I agree with and think makes sense, but I must admit I am more excited by some of the other guys, because I am still not yet convinced Matthew can impressively play more than “Siu Tung," but looking forward to how he fares in his action drama opposite Joe Ma. The only one I could see having a tiny, tiny chance of pulling an upset is Owen, who nabbed Best Supporting Actor in Singapore.

Most Improved Actress

Predicted Winner: Samantha Ko
Most Deserving: Roxanne Tong
Personal Choice: Roxanne Tong
Snub: Sisley Choi

And then we have the female category, and while it's not a total mess, still leaves much to be desired compared to the male category. My best guess is Samantha will win, since she has the buzzed-about "My Unfair Lady" under her name, and she won this award in Singapore. I'd be indifferent to this result. I remember really liking her performance in "Friendly Fire" several years ago, but she has not left an impression on me since then.

Zoie Tam won in Malaysia though, and I wouldn't be overly surprised if she won, since she has been appearing in more and more series recently. At least to me though, her look suits very well for cool and detached characters, and not much else, making her feel dull to me.

I have been very pleasantly surprised by Roxanne Tong, who gave an okay but rather bland performance in "Come Home Love," but was incredibly endearing and natural in last year's "Between Love and Desire." I'm happy to see she was able to receive a nomination this year, since she gave another strong performance in "Provocateur" and sparked great chemistry with co-star Jonathan Cheung, and she's definitely my pick. Unfortunately, TVB can't seem to make up their mind about whether to promote her, because she seems to switch back and forth from playing more major roles to small supporting ones. 

Surprisingly, Sisley once again walked away without a nomination for Most Improved. It seems strange that despite being so heavily promoted since her debut, Sisley has never been nominated for this award while Grace Chan was nominated twice (before winning the second time). It's even a little disappointing she wasn't nominated this year specifically, given that she did show improvement in "Legal Mavericks" after finally receiving an interesting character to work with.

Best Drama

Predicted Winner: Line Walker 2
Most Deserving: The Exorcist’s Meter
Personal Choice: The Exorcist’s Meter

With its high (by today's standards) ratings across all platforms and its collaboration with Mainland China, it's hard seeing any other series besides "Line Walker 2" win. However, it's "The Exorcist's Meter" that ended up being the year's most pleasant surprise. This supernatural series looked hopelessly tacky and strange in promos and had a seemingly very weak cast other than leading man Kenneth. Yet, it ended up being the most refreshing one with its supernatural elements and mixing of comedy with some slight horror. What surprised me most though was that this low-budget supernatural series also ended up being the one with the most heart and thoughtful writing for a TVB series in years. Sure there were some inconsistencies and it felt like it sometimes got carried away, but the supernatural genre was a smart and creative platform to deal with very real things like life and death and cherishing the people around you in a way that left an impact on you. It's a black horse contender with a lot of fan support behind it, but probably not enough to trump TVB's tendency to play favorites.

Global Netizen’s Favorite Series

Predicted Winner: The Exorcist’s Meter
Most Deserving: The Exorcist’s Meter
Personal Choice: The Exorcist’s Meter

The inclusion of this new category is puzzling, but makes me think that TVB wants to recognize it's surprise supernatural hit or maybe "Legal Mavericks" in some way without shafting "Line Walker 2" (or maybe even vice versa?). Line Walker 2 was noted for being a hit on online platforms, so it would make sense for it to win this award, but having it win both categories seems redundant, so I'm holding out for this consolation win for The Exorcist's Meter.

Favorite TV Partnership

Predicted Winner: Vincent Wong and Natalie Tong for "My Unfair Lady"
Most Deserving: Kenneth Ma and Hubert Wu for "The Exorcist's Meter"
Personal Choice: Vincent Wong and Owen Cheung for "Legal Mavericks," Kenneth Ma and Hubert Wu for "The Exorcist's Meter"

I'm really not sure about this category, but do know Vincent and Natalie were a very popular onscreen pairing this year. I wouldn't be surprised if Edwin Siu, Raymond Cho, and Matthew Ho won for their partnership in "A General, A Soldier, and An Eunuch," which was a fun and entertaining ensemble to watch though the comedy dragged on for a little longer than it should have. I'm a little torn between which partnership I enjoyed more of the two I listed as my personal choice, but the love and compassion felt more obvious between Kenneth and Hubert and the nature of their relationship was just so unique. It was touching to see that while Hubert was only pretending to be Kenneth's long lost "brother" for Kenneth's mother, he and Kenneth came to saw each other as brothers, even if they never verbalized it. Vincent and Owen, along with Sisley, were all still absolutely hilarious and fun together though.

Best Theme Song

Predicted Winner: Hana Kuk’s theme song for “Line Walker 2”
Most Deserving: Hubert Wu's theme song for The Exorcist’s Meter
Personal Choice: Hubert Wu's theme song for The Exorcist’s Meter

I know, I've mentioned The Exorcist's Meter a million times now, but I only managed to watch and finish five series this year, and it really was a standout this year, right down to its soundtrack. Both Hubert's theme and sub theme song were memorable and played up the emotion of every scene it was played in. I especially liked the theme song which has a nice blend with the piano and dance beats. The female dance cover of the song with Jacqueline Wong and Sisley Choi though was...so unnecessary. I also have a soft spot for his sub theme though, and listening to it just makes me think back to some of the sad scenes the song was played in and become a little misty-eyed. Of course, Hana's theme song for "Line Walker 2" will win because she's the new Jinny that we're getting shoved down our throats even though her songs are only, like Jinny's, just okay.

"Captain of Destiny" Review

I had originally dropped "Captain of Destiny" after five episodes on the first try, but after having a few friends tell me it gets better, I decided to give it another shot. Next thing I knew, I had binge watched the rest in four days.

After a slow and rough start that makes "Captain" seem like much more of a joke than it really turned out to be, it develops into one of the better and most entertaining series of the year. Unfortunately, by then, most viewers had already tuned out, as evidenced by its low ratings.

Cast-wise, it is easily understood why people were hesitant and turned off by the decision to cast Grace Chan as the female lead and Tony Hung as the titular "Cheung Po Tsai."

Grace can get very irritating as "Wong Tai-Mui" with her widening eyes and love for screaming her lines, particularly in the early episodes. She does tone down more as the series goes on and becomes much more bearable as the focus shifts more to Ruco Chan. Do I still think she has potential? Sure, but it was definitely too early for her to receive a lead role. I thought she was quite natural in "Raising the Bar," and although she has a stronger and more assertive character here, her acting seems to have even retrograded a bit. Wong Tai-Mui could still be likable overall, but I especially disliked her whenever she was so quick to think the worst of the 11th prince. I understand having hesitations, but how about not blatantly accusing someone of framing or murdering someone without getting any information first? Aren't you supposed to be a cop?

I am genuinely surprised by the criticism Tony received for his performance here, even though the harshest criticism was mostly directed towards Grace. As much as I like Tony as a host and ove
rall person, I had huge concerns for him coming into this series. However, I thoroughly enjoyed him as "Cheung Po Tsai" once we got past the silliness of the first few episodes. Tony was able to use his real-life playfulness and easygoing personality to play the titular character with humor and fun. His emotional scenes are unsurprisingly more raw, but the only scene I felt was particularly weak was one in the later part of the series where he confronts Ruco's character from jail. In the end, I'm not sad that Raymond Wong had to pull out of the series, but happy with the way things turned out for Tony. I'll probably receive some flack for this, but I finished this series thinking he did indeed deserve the Most Improved Actor award.

Ruco's role was increased to pick up the slack that came with casting less experienced actors such as Grace and Tony, and of course, he once again rises to the challenge. He nails the "stern but kind" role, where he was much more domineering and intimidating in the beginning before softening to become the passionate and intelligent 11th prince we loved. Timing-wise, I did think this was the right year for Ruco to win Best Actor. But even as the huge Ruco fan I am, even I must admit that solely performance-wise, this character was not a challenge for him and did not provide him with new material. I was however slightly surprised by his performance as the Bandit King, "Bowie." He needs to play another one of these baddie characters!

The rest of the cast performances are a mixed bag. Joel Chan and Mandy Wong may have been third supporting characters who didn't appear until almost halfway through the series, but they were both very entertaining and unpredictable, which is hard to come by with TVB's trite love trianKelly Fu's acting is still raw with a lot of room for improvement, but she surprisingly did not ever annoy me much. While she was overly naive and kept accidentally getting into trouble in the beginning, I came to appreciate her and Otto Chan's loyalty and confidence in Ruco, and how the three really became friends. Maggie Shiu was enjoyable and a reliable supporting actress as usual. Ocean Zhu's character was just plain weird and could have been eliminated. I ended up being most disappointed by Elaine Yiu's performance having already known she received the Best Supporting Actress award for it. She would just give her best resting bitch face and say her lines in a catty way, and I stared at the screen wondering "She won an acting award for this?"

"Captain of Destiny"'s largest problem lies in the disjointedness of its two storylines: the storyline between the pirates, and Ruco's palatial drama. Both have their distinct strengths, as the pirates' provided humor and lightheartedness, while Ruco's storyline balanced it out with more substantial drama. However, it makes the viewer feel like they're watching two completely different series and made for some awkward scene transitions. There could be a very serious scene involving Ruco and his military, and then we would transition into a scene where Grace was being chased around by the pirates in white "ghost" costumes. It is not until around 20 episodes in before Ruco even meets Tony and Grace.

Another major problem the series has is its plot holes and sloppy writing, particularly when it came to the romantic storylines. I understand that romance was not the focus on the series nor should it have been, but since the writers decided to include it, they should have done a better job. Grace is shown clearly falling for both Tony and Ruco and mulling over her feelings for the two men, but then all of a sudden shows that she only loves Tony. Ruco is portrayed as heartbroken over Grace, and then all of a sudden expresses an interest in Kelly, who returns the interest. This isn't a messy love triangle. This is just bad writing, and it seems like the writers changed their minds midway through writing the script, but could not have been bothered to go back and make the revisions. With that said, to my genuine surprise, I quite liked Tony and Grace together, as their relationship was allowed to grow from friendship. Any love line involving Ruco though, was thrown together very haphazardly.

Perhaps the even bigger concern people had going into the series was not the cast, but the CGI effects. Although it could still be obvious what was CGI and what was not, the effects were definitely much better than expected and the battle scene was very well-done. The series may have had many flaws, but the visual effects ended up not being one of them.

Despite its weaknesses though, "Captain of Destiny" is one of the most entertaining series of the year. It can easily be binge-watched if you just make it past the first few episodes because it has good pacing and still has many elements a solid series should have, including some interesting characters, comedy, drama, a little action, and some romance (as haphazard as it was). With all the mediocre series this year, "Captain" should not be completely written off because of its less-experienced leads and rough beginning. It is still very much a grand production.

Rating: 3.5 stars