"Wonder Women" Review

What TVB's last anniversary series of the year lacked in plot, it made up for with its characters in spades. "Wonder Women" has a very simple plot that follows a woman moving on from her unfaithful husband by rebuilding her career and falling in love. It has the formula of a typical lighthearted series, but succeeds because of its unlikely cast and character ensemble.

The female trio's friendship

Miriam Yeung and Pakho Chau are the core of the series, but the three girls' friendship were my second favorite part. While there are countless series that feature close male brotherhood, one of my many gripes with TVB is the poor portrayal of female friendships (or lack thereof). Male characters go through thick and thin with and for each other, but female TVB friendships tend to come off as much more superficial and surface-level. They go shopping and to the spa, but that's pretty much it. While Miriam, Alice Chan, and Rebecca Zhu's characters are definitely shown going shopping and out to eat, their friendship is actually fleshed out. You feel the trust, warmth, and bond between them. The friendship feels genuine rather than cliquy, and I truly appreciated that the writers here took the time to develop and put a focus on this sisterhood. Additionally, these female characters are written dynamically as well with their strengths as well as their flaws.

Of course, this friendship would not have been so enjoyable to watch if not for Miriam, Alice, and Rebecca's chemistry. The trio's casting seemed odd and random to me at first, especially given that Rebecca is considerably younger than the other two, but they mesh and play off each other incredibly well. Pakho’s “Ho Tin” also adds a very fun dynamic to their friendship. I was cracking up right with Lam Fei at the scene where Fung Wah and See Lui were waiting to see who Ho Tin would want to drop off first to see who he was interested in, only for Ho Tin to come out and ask them to decide amongst themselves who wanted to be first.

By far the individual performance I was most surprised by was Rebecca's. She has been a rather bland and forgettable actress for years, but last year she showed considerable improvement in "The Stunt," particularly in her emotional scenes. She displayed fantastic comedic timing here that we have not seen before, and her emotional scenes are done very well too. The scene in episode 23 where a crying Rebecca is trying to get Miriam and Alice to talk and reconcile is heartbreaking and convincing. "See Lui" could have easily been written as a one-dimensional ditzy trophy wife, but the script and Rebecca's performance thankfully develops the character to be more dynamic. She can be overdramatic and silly but is also rather clever and smart, as well as a caring, good friend. She has a comfortable and fun chemistry with onscreen husband Tony Hung who has his funny moments too, but is very much outshined by Rebecca.

Alice suits these strong, career-minded characters best, so this role was no challenge for her. However, in keeping with the theme of likable but flawed characters, "Fung Wah"'s handling of her love life is more messy. While I like Alice a lot, I did not care for her storyline with Jonathan Cheung too much. Alice seems like one of those affable, personable actresses who could spark chemistry with a tree if she had to, so while she and Jonathan look physically mismatched, their chemistry does not completely fall flat. However, it still came off as bland and a little awkward-looking, and simply lacked the "it" factor that the main couple has.

Lastly, our leading lady Miriam is of course solid. She plays her character with sympathy and wit at all the right places with no trouble.

Miriam and Pakho's relationship
One different casting choice would have been the difference between Lam Fei and Ho Tin's relationship being enjoyable and engaging or incredibly awkward and forced. Given that these characters' relationship is the driving force behind the series, TVB got lucky and struck gold with this couple.

The series succeeds in large part because Miriam and Pakho surprisingly have so much chemistry. Miriam is an award-winning actress while Pakho also has acting experience and just seems like an easygoing person, so I went in expecting there to be some chemistry, but nothing to shout about. The physical incompatibility does not hinder them but rather adds to their romantic storyline, showing that age and appearances are not everything. The two are so natural and at ease with each other, sparking many laughs early on when they are a bickering landlord and tenant and later good friends, but very sweet as they become a couple. It was rewarding to see Lam Fei finally accept Ho Tin. The relationship is also rewarding to watch because Ho Tin is not the savior to Lam Fei's damsel-in-distress. He is right alongside her supporting her as she picks herself up and moves on, as are her friends.

The series takes the character archetypes of the cheated ex-housewife, the career woman, and the trophy wife and fleshes them out a bit more with the women. Meanwhile, Ho Tin is the rich second-generation with a heart of gold. The man is a chronically unemployed almost 30-year-old relying on his father's debit card who literally started the series by paying exorbitant rent so he could stalk his ex-girlfriend to get back together with her just so he could dump her! There were many reasons to not like him, particularly when he failed to be straightforward to Ms. Lui about not having feelings for her and his general lack of direction in life, but they are overshadowed by how caring and thoughtful of a person and friend he is not only to Lam Fei, but to Kai Kai, See Lui, Fung Wah, and Jonathan. While I am a fan of Pakho and his music, I did not like his character in "Another Era" and he was noticeably rather wooden in what I saw of "Line Walker: The Prelude." There was much apprehension about whether Pakho could perform or even deserved this leading role, including even from myself, but he is charismatic, affable, and natural as Ho Tin, and makes us can't help but love him for his positive traits rather than focus on his more negative ones. His scenes with Kai Kai are particularly sweet, and while TVB's child actors are typically pretty annoying, "Kai Kai" is rather natural and adorable, especially given his lack of prior acting experience.

One detail I would have liked to see is Ho Tin realizing what career he is passionate about and pursuing that. While it would have been fine for Ho Tin to realize he is interested in medicine, there was no indication of that and he seemed to pursue it simply because he was already halfway done with medical school and thought it would make his father and Lam Fei happy.

Other noteworthy aspects

Raymond Wong has long been a solid, talented actor, and it is a shame that TVB seems to not know what do with him anymore in the last few years, mostly casting him in boring characters or low-production series. He is convincing and absolutely detestable as "Kim Hung." It was rather puzzling that his former father-in-law (played by Benz Hui) never truly yelled at Kim Hung for breaking his daughter's heart yet still treated him as a son so long after the divorce.

Other than its characters and relationships, the series is also just very funny and in a refreshing way. Rather than relying on typical over-the-top humor or craziness, there are many humorous and clever moments that aren't played so deliberately. Notable scenes include when everyone is enjoying hot pot inside while Kim Hung is sitting outside in the hot with his glasses fogging up and the dancing scene with "Wing Boss" and "Old Sim" with everyone watching. The humor keeps the series going, and the episodes that suffer from feeling slow-moving are ones that are too serious or focus on boring aspects like the business deals.

This is the second series this year that focuses on a woman moving on from a failed marriage after "Girlie Days," and it is interesting to see how the two series executes its similar themes. While that is by far the inferior series, I liked "Girlie Days" for how Kristal Tin's career storyline is done. She finds an outlet and regains control and direction of her life by working out (as a personal trainer), and it becomes where she is most confident and in her element, and we see it along the way. Lam Fei is shown moving on with the endless support of her friends, which is certainly another realistic take on it that paid off given these cast and characters, but the portrayal of her career development left much to be desired. After she transitions from the cooking booth to a higher role, there are a few scenes here and there of her running around with files and going to boardroom meetings that felt like they were simply tacked on to remind us Lam Fei is a career woman now. The magazine covers showing Lam Fei was now a successful chef and restauranteur in the finale made me realize I wish we could have gotten to see more of this along the way.

The Ending

*spoilers!*

Like with many TVB series, "Wonder Women" would have benefitted from just being 20 episodes long. The episodes after Ho Tin recovers from his amnesia still boosts some individual fun scenes, but overall feel like an unnecessary coda. After 24 episodes of easy, relaxing watching in a universe that feels mostly grounded in reality, Jonathan's sudden death after trying to save Maggie Yu's unhinged, annoying character was an absurd curveball that was uncalled for, especially given that they just brushed over his actual cause of death. To me, it also felt a little too on-the-nose that Fung Wah lost her love after Lam Fei told her she could not find love and marriage because she had disrupted another marriage. While Lam Fei obviously did not mean it, Fung Wah's ending still felt like the ultimate slut-shaming and her karma for having a one-night-stand with Kim Hung, whom she did not even know was marrying Lam Fei. It harms Fung Wah's character yet is inconsequential to the series itself, so it was nonsensical to include this plot point. If the writers really wanted drama for the end, Jonathan falling into a coma and eventually waking up would have been sufficient. It was also unnecessary to include the scene where we find out Jonathan had a twin if they were not going to resolve that, unless the plan is to film a sequel. Thankfully, Lam Fei and Ho Tin are eventually reunited to have a happy ending, though given the age of social media, it is odd that they did not speak to each other at all for six years. Not even birthday texts? It would have been understandable if they decided not to be in a long-distance relationship, but it was bizarre they appeared to have completely cut off contact with each other.

Conclusion

I watch a lot of television and rarely watch movies. TV appeals to me more because I love becoming invested in characters and watching them grow. There is more time to watch characters, relationships, and storylines develop. While this also gives writers ample time to mess up, create filler, or spin in circles, if done correctly, TV shows have more of an opportunity for payoff. "Wonder Women" does not have a concrete plot. Yet, this is the first TVB series in a long time that I genuinely feel like I will miss watching because in the span of 25 episodes, I got to know, like, and care about these characters. The scriptwriters put an effort here into developing the three female characters and Ho Tin to seem like real, flawed people with feelings and thoughts as well as develop their relationships with each other. It is an effort that pays off here to make an overall entertaining, easy, character-driven watch, proving you don’t need a big, flashy plot full of twists and turns to be engaging. It will not be everyone’s cup of tea given the more relaxed, uneventful nature of it, but for fans of character-driven series, TVB proves it can still be capable of making them.

Rating: 4 stars

Happy 6th Anniversary, TVB Interaction! What's changed in 6 years...

TVB Interaction turns 6 years old today! Happy 6th Anniversary TVB Interaction! I had first started watching TVB the summer of 2008 and this blog was first created on June 13, 2009. To celebrate 6 years on the web (some years more active than others), I wanted to reflect back on how things have changed with TVB, my relationship with it, and my own life since I first got sucked into the world of TVB. I apologize in advance if it gets more boring going down.

So over the last 6 years, what has changed...

...with TVB?

Oh how I miss that adorable face.

If the TVB fan in me in 2008 saw what it is like now, it would've started screaming "Where is everyone?!" The most obvious change over the last 7 years is the major exodus of artists (and that's an understatement). The young leading actors I saw when first getting into this fandom have since left or look like they're about to do so. Sammul Chan and Raymond Lam were my favorite actors when I first started watching TVB series, and not long after Sammul left, and Raymond started boring me with his idol roles before finally parting ways with the station last year. The familiar faces I came to love and recognize left or significantly reduced their work load with TVB, including Charmaine, Steven, Fala, and soon, Myolie. Now we're seeing TVB trying to take chances and quickly giving newbie actors leading roles as the cast of series get increasingly weaker.

However, a good thing that has happened over the years is that all four of the actors who started out in supporting roles I took a great liking to and pegged as potential stars ultimately became lead actors.

Guys, it's Ruco with a puppy. *dies from the cuteness*

Ruco Chan, who I first noticed in a slew of small semi-villain supporting roles in 2009 such as "The Threshold of a Persona" and "Burning Flame 3" and still remains my favorite, may have meandered in the entertainment industry for a long time before rejoining TVB, but quickly hit the big time starring in 2011's "The Other Truth."

Raymond Wong also experienced a breakthrough after 2009's "Sweetness in the Salt," going on to costar with Ruco in "The Other Truth," a casting move that literally had me jumping for joy when it was first announced.

Edwin Siu quietly returned to TVB in 2008 after a music career cut short and stint in China with likable small supporting roles such as "Ken" in "Forensic Heroes 3" before impressing people with his comedic timing as the adorable "Ah Yap" in 2012's "Daddy Good Deeds."

It is not Vincent, it's Gilbert, the pill-popping, arrogant, rich heir
begging for a shovel to the head (Oh wait that's exactly what he got).

Finally, I first started liking Vincent Wong in 2010's "Gun Metal Grey," more for his affability and likability than his acting skill. By 2012, I noticed how natural he had become in "Tiger Cubs." I was officially sold on the fact that Vincent is a genuinely talented actor who could add subtle touches after 2013's "A Change of Heart" and hoped TVB would promote him more. I recently watched him as a villain in "Will Power" and was impressed and taken aback by how convincing he was as "Gilbert" in contrast to his previous performances as spoiled rich guys where he looked unnatural and uncomfortable. After a second lead role in last year's "Tomorrow is Another Day," Vincent is now also receiving lead roles in upcoming series.

Four actors who I pegged as potential stars that came true! *pats self on back* Louis Cheung also kind of counts, but the audience was smart in seeing his acting talent very quickly and he shot up the ranks to leads in a year due to the current lack of leading actors. Now either my eye is now not working, or there are currently no new actors with a lot of potential...

...with my relationship with TVB?

As we all know, the TVB blogosphere has greatly quieted down. There were still many blogs that emerged after MetalAZNWarrior's TVB Musings signed off the web. Now, you can count the remaining active blogs on one hand, and it's sad. The TVB fandom isn't what it once was. Thankfully, there's still Twitter for those of us who want to share our thoughts on the series we're watching but don't have the time or motivation to write full-length blog posts.

John Cho is too good to be playing the
token Asian guy in your Hollywood movie.

I'm not as into TVB as I used to be, and I don't watch as many series a year as I used to, but I don't think I'll ever completely stop watching their dramas, even if it comes down to watching just one or two a year. First off, as long as my favorite actors are around, I'll be checking out the dramas of theirs that interest me. The second is a sentimental attachment and the connection to Asian culture and community it and this blog gave me. I also like being able to hearing Cantonese (and can understand a whole lot more since 2008).

However, a different reason to appreciate TVB that I've developed in the last few years as I've become more and more into American TV, is being able to see Hong Kong actors play such a wide array of roles. Sure, they can be subject to typecasts, but those typecasts aren't structured by racial stereotypes the way it is in Hollywood where the under representation and misrepresentation is rampant. Just ask Korean American actor John Cho, who has experienced racism in Hollywood, and was asked to do an accent for 2002's "Big Fat Liar" (he refused). There is a reason why some popular Asian actors, such as Taiwan's Mark Chao, have declined opportunities to appear in Hollywood movies. While American TV shows overall tend to have better writing, it's still satisfying to shut off the TV, get on my laptop, and watch Asians killing it in a diverse range of roles (possible since the whole cast is Asian).

...with me?

I'm still here aren't I? Despite the many random and long breaks I take, I have continually returned to blog for TVB Interaction even if it's just to cover the anniversary awards for a month because I still enjoy it. At the beginning of the year, I tried to give myself a quota where I would write a blog post once a month, whether on TVB Interaction or AE Experience, and that lasted for that whole first month. However, I will continue to write (knowing me, probably in spurts of multiple blog posts published closely together and taking year-long breaks) until the day I decide I don't enjoy doing it anymore. For those times in between, I am still on Twitter sharing (and venting) thoughts on TVB matters.

In honor of my reflection on the last 6 years today,
here's a picture I took of the reflecting pool during my senior prom.

I started TVB Interaction when I was in 8th grade, and I've now finished my first year of college in D.C. I'm majoring in psychology and intend on going to law school.

I've also become an even more avid fan of television. Movies just don't do it for me since I love following a set of characters and seeing them grow over episodes and seasons. My favorite TV dramas are "Once Upon a Time" and "Nashville," but my biggest love is definitely sitcoms that make me laugh out loud and relax after a long day. The 90s classic "Boy Meets World" along with "30 Rock" and "How I Met Your Mother" are my ultimate favorites and watching episodes of them during breaks from studying were definitely how I managed to stay sane during finals. If you like TVB and any of these shows, you should definitely comment or tweet at me (or request to follow me on Twitter if you aren't already since I leave my account protected).

I hope you've managed to read to this point, and if you have, don't be a stranger and leave a comment, whether it's about your own relationship with TVB over the years, or just to say "hi" and say you're still around blogging or tweeting. As random as my updates can be, I hope you keep checking back at TVB Interaction for another 6 years.

"Slow Boat Home" Review

"Slow Boat Home" had promoted itself to be a refreshing youth-oriented and romantic lighthearted comedy. While the first half of the series did manage to be quite enjoyable and deliver many laughs, a closer look and one can easily tell that it quickly morphed into another typical TVB family drama. Although quite funny in its earlier episodes, it became yet another series with poorly written story lines weeded together and love stories that lacked a romantic factor that turned it lackluster and draggy.

The four leads all deliver, but the development and outline of their characters was sloppy.

Raymond Wong is solid as always and delivers as "Cheung Bo Jai". The character would have easily become annoying with his obnoxiousness in the early episodes, but instead Raymond made him quite hilarious. Yet, Cheung Bo Jai found himself primarily pining after Bo Bo (portrayed by Aimee Chan) and caught in the middle of family drama, lacking his own direction in life. Although he has a dream of owning his own boat, not much is ever done with this subplot until - you guessed it - he buys himself a huge yacht in the last episode.

Aimee Chan is surprisingly pleasant and very likable as "Bo Bo". She is charming and appears very comfortable onscreen due to the tailor made role and casual atmosphere. However, it is actually her character that puzzles me the most with her odd actions and behavior. She so readily settled down into life at Cheung Chau and gave up her career as a director that it was simply bizarre. I find it hard to believe Bo Bo would not return to New York when she could, had such a good attitude about working as a waitress when she was formerly a director, and so easily gave up on looking for her father (the reason she came to Cheung Chau) after learning it is not Mui Kei (portrayed by Ngok Wah).

As a huge fan of Ruco Chan, I become giddy every time I start a new series with him as lead. Now, this giddiness literally lasted all through out "The Other Truth", yet wore off for me here after just a
few episodes. Why? "Fit Wing" offers absolutely no challenge to Ruco's acting skills and range, and didn't present much more substance than that of a fool blinded by love.

Selena Li is given more of an acting challenge with "Heidi", who goes from greedy to good to being even more greedy than before and finally back to well, volunteer work doing, no make up wearing good. She does what she can with the role and it's nice to see her exercising her abilities a bit, but Heidi's character changes were abrupt and poorly done.

As said above, the love stories lack actual romance. Ruco and Selena share so much sweet and genuine chemistry, yet Fit Wing and Heidi's relationship was a constant back and forth with Heidi's regression, hurting and using Ruco as well as his loved ones time and time again, only to end with him forgiving her. And then the cycle repeats again. And again. Their relationship was dysfunctional and kept suffering the same setbacks. I feel teased that two such lovable and endearing onscreen love interests were given such a terrible love line.

Raymond and Aimee's line fared better. They were entertaining during their take as the classic bickering rivals turned couple, but I failed to see when Aimee started to return Raymond's feelings for her. Although they were fun together and shared chemistry, they too lacked romance.

However, "Slow Boat Home"'s most significant setback is how disconnected from each other the four main characters are. At first, the series seemed to tell two completely different stories, with one taking place in Cheung Chau and one in Hong Kong. Although this improved when Ruco and Selena's characters relocated back to Cheung Chau, it still couldn't hide the fact that the four were very much disconnected and lacked cohesion.

Friendship was a theme that would have been enjoyable to see develop, but the bonds beyond the two couples was not explored. Aimee and Ruco do not even share a scene together until almost halfway into the series, and Raymond and Selena had almost no interactions despite being childhood friends. It focused almost solely on the two couples and unnecessary family drama.

The most enjoyable aspect of the series though, was the bromance friendship between Raymond, Ruco and Matt Yeung. The three guys appeared very comfortable together and their friendship looked realistic, resulting in fun and warm scenes. However, these scenes were limited, particularly with Matt's minimal screen time and once again, disconnection to the group overall. Poor "Chuen So Kei" was constantly lost about what was going on between the four and almost consistently the last to find out.

Easily the most refreshing thing about "Slow Boat Home" is its location filming in Cheung Chau. It was a breath of fresh air to not see the same boring sets and filming sites yet again and instead see the natural beauty of this small town. Of course, this alone was not able to keep "Slow Boat Home" entertaining and fresh.

What becomes most evident about halfway through the series is that there is no actual point to it. There is no central story line, and just a bunch of poorly written story lines weeded together while the two main couples were pushed apart and back again and again. Not only does it become mixed with trite family drama, but allows itself to fall victim to cliched and random story lines like Oceane Zhu's and Elaine Yiu's. These subplots added nothing to the overall story (whatever that was) and seemed like they were simply included to drag out the series length. In addition, Lee Yee Man's character can probably go down as the most annoying character of the year.

Here's a fun fact: when the series was first proposed, it was supposed to have a music theme and showcase the musical talents of the cast. Ruco and Aimee were to play together on the guitar and piano respectively. Sadly, what showed up in the final script was Ruco strumming random guitar chords two or three times and no use of music as a theme. This is disappointing as it could have helped make "Slow Boat Home" more refreshing, particularly with its musically inclined cast (Ruco can play guitar and sing, Aimee can play piano, Selena can sing and compose and plays the piano, and Cilla was originally a singer). My guess is TVB backed out of this original concept to ease and simplify the filming and production process, since they love taking the easy way out. I would have loved to see music incorporated into this series.

Overall, "Slow Boat Home" is a series that starts off funny and entertaining, but its humor quickly wears off and goes down the trite family drama route traveled a hundred too many times by TVB series. All four leads are strong and likable, but either poor or inconsistent characterization keeps them from being utilized to full potential. If it weren't for the large amount of free time I have on my hands these days and the main cast, I would probably have dropped it by the last five episodes. There was plenty potential, and marketed as a youth-oriented romantic comedy, it had the opportunity to be something fresh. As most TVB series these days though, it is once again wasted potential.

Rating: 2.5 stars

Top 10 TVB Artists of 2011

Every year, Next Magazine holds an awards presentation.  The main component is the list of top 10 TV artists for that year.  The results have recently released, which is why I have decided to put together my own list.  The results are based off on the whole 2011 year, and does not include series that started airing in 2012.  These artists have been picked based on onscreen performance (i.e. notable performances in actual series) as well as offscreen performance (work ethics, personality, improvements, etc).

#10 - Steven Ma
2011 was a year full of ups and downs for the well respected and gentlemanly Steven Ma.   His series "7 Days in Life" was moderately well received, but like most of his series, aired at a bad time slot.  For the first time, his ancient series "The Life and Times of a Sentinel" was able to snag the "golden" time slot as it aired during the summer.  Known as one of TVB's most loyal artists, Steven's career took an unexpected turn when he shocked and saddened many by announcing he would be leaving the TV company after 18 years of hard work with little recognition. In an effort to get him to stay, TVB executives offered to give him the Best Actor award. No longer interested in awards and just wanting to peacefully leave the company and start a new life in China, a tired and worn looking Steven refused and put his effort into filming his final TVB series, "Daddy Good Deeds" and hosting variety show "Book of Words". Steven worked hard this year as well as all the other years he worked for TVB, and deserves a fresh start and success elsewhere.  However, he will definitely be missed.

#9 - Raymond Wong
Raymond may have played second fiddle to Ruco Chan in "The Other Truth", but ended the year with a bang with his captivating portrayal of lead character "Tung Book Sin" in the unexpected big hit "Bottled Passion". His performance was met with critical acclaim and gained him even more fans, securing his status as lead actor. Fans on JayneStars.com even voted him as the Best Actor of 2011 over Kevin Cheng!

#8 - Nancy Wu
Known for her solid and interesting performances in supporting roles, Nancy delivered a breakthrough in the role of the lawyer "Eva Chow" in "Forensic Heroes 3".  Despite only appearing in a handful of episodes, she maximized the screen time she had and left viewers with a deep impression.  Nancy's performance was met with praise and she became the "black horse" candidate for the race for Best Supporting Actress, making it into the top 5.  This year looks like it will be an even brighter one for Nancy.  Will she finally be boosted up to lead actress status?

#7 - Sharon Chan
Viewers only saw Sharon once in the whole year of 2011.  However, with a role like "Ho Lai Ching" in "Ghetto Justice", that was all she needed to make an impact.  Portraying a pitiable and well meaning prostitute, Sharon became one of the most successful breakthroughs of the year.  Her portrayal of "Ho Lai Ching" did not come without hardship, as she broke her collarbone while filming and spent many months recovering.  Instead of giving up, she toughed out the rough filming conditions that came with the character.  Deservingly and not surprisingly, she took home the Best Supporting Actress, after years of unappreciated and overlooked hard work.

#6 - Linda Chung
"Yes Sir, Sorry Sir" may have failed to boost the careers of Moses Chan, Tavia Yeung, and Ron Ng, but unexpectedly generated a huge amount of press coverage for Linda's "Ms. Cool", who was only playing a supporting character.  "Ms. Cool" was so successful and loved that a spin off series for the character was filmed.  In one of the year's biggest shockers of the year, Linda did not take home the "My Favorite Female Character" award despite predictions and buzz.  However, I think having an entire spin off series based off the character is enough to make up for it!

#5 - Kate Tsui
2011 was an extremely busy year for Kate.  She graced television screens in Hong Kong almost all year round, with six of her series aired (including the previously warehoused "A Great Way to Care" and mini series "Dropping By Cloud Nine").  Her partnership with Bosco in "Lives of Omission" was the most talked about on screen couple of the year.  What made 2011 a great year for the actress though, was the improvements made in her acting.  She appeared much more natural and even cute in "Forensic Heroes III", while still retaining the fierceness and power that makes her, well...Kate Tsui.

#4 - Bosco Wong
Bosco seems to have been demoted to second male lead lately, but this didn't stop him from achieving even more popularity and praise.  His performance as gangster "Michael/Bai Co" in "Lives of Omission" was critically acclaimed and generated a lot of buzz.  Despite only being second lead, he emerged as the black horse candidate for Best Actor as well as My Favorite Male Character, competing against co-star Michael Tse, "Laughing Gor" himself.  Some even noted that Bosco out shined Michael.  It seems being demoted to second lead has only made Bosco more likable and popular!

#3 - Kevin Cheng
As an actor who was starting to be more known for his good looks than acting, portraying the role of "Law Ba" in "Ghetto Justice" gave Kevin the career push he needed.  Usually appearing uncomfortable onscreen and even somewhat wooden, Kevin successfully emerged himself in the unique role of "Law Ba".  It seems that 2011 was not only the year his career was resurrected, but also the year he learned to be more laid back and not take himself so seriously.  The result?  A much more likable and charming Kevin.

#2 - Myolie Wu
Myolie has always been the young TVB actress with the most versatility and skill, but recent years had her plagued with undeserved criticism for weak roles.  This was the year she finally fought back and won over viewers again.  "The Rippling Blossom", "Curse of the Royal Harem", and the sleeper hit "Ghetto Justice" all did well and gave Myolie much praise.  She won Best Actress for "Curse", making her the first rising "fa dan" to win the coveted title.

#1 - Ruco Chan
Ruco may not have won any anniversary awards, but 2011 truly was his year to shine.  After 17 years of hard work in the entertainment industry, 2011 was his break out year.  He won critical acclaim for his first leading role as "Keith Lau" in "The Other Truth".  As a result, he became the new favorite among producers when casting people for their productions, particularly Amy Wong.  In a mere 3 months, he pocketed $500,000 HKD from promotions and functions.  He became the new hot topic and household name in Hong Kong, dominating the tabloids and tvb.com blogs much longer after "The Other Truth" finished airing.  To finish off the year, he won Jaynestar's Sexiest Man Alive poll, beating out Kevin Cheng and Raymond Lam.  With "Ruse of Engagement" to be aired soon and the upcoming "Chok Crew" and "Seaside Love", there's no doubt that 2012 will be an even brighter year for Ruco.  He has secured his status as leading actor, and there's no kicking him out.

In my opinion, these are the 10 artists in 2011 that stood out in particular.  They all exhibited something outstanding and made great accomplishments.  We are four months into 2012, so it will be interesting to see what they will be able to accomplish with the remainder of the year.

What are your thoughts?  Who do you think stood out this year?  Comment with your own top 10!

"Bottled Passion" Review

Premodern dramas and romance dramas are my two least favorite genres.  Just by the genre, I should've hated "Bottled Passion".  However, due to great pacing, script, and acting, "Bottled Passion" ended up not only being an exception, but one of my favorite series of the year.

The Acting

Raymond Wong delivers the most captivating performance of the year as "Tung Boon-Sin".  He was charming in his scenes wooing the Ko sisters.  Unlike many other female viewers though, I didn't feel swooned by his magic tricks and odd antics in courting them.  Perhaps it's because I prefer sincerity over charm, but I was much more moved by his earnest love for Tsui Sum.  His subtlety yet realism in portraying his emotional and crying scenes made me want to tear up myself.  They proved that less is indeed more.  On a more superficial note, Raymond looked very handsome here in his long jackets and suits.

I don't understand the criticism for Niki Chow being the worst actress ever.  She has a limited amount of facial expressions, but exerts a very endearing innocence and sweetness.  The character of Tsui Sum also called for her to cry a lot.  Due to the sad nature of the drama, she probably had to cry at least once an episode.  While Niki doesn't shed many tears, she shows the appropriate amount of sadness and pain.  In this case, this was good enough for me.  If I had to watch someone like Tavia Yeung cry as much as Tsui Sum did, I'd probably go nuts, no matter how realistic and emotional her crying is.

Elaine Yiu did a great job with the staring and sneering, but still wasn't too likable.  Katy Kung has a lot of potential as an actress, but her character was extremely irritating to watch.

Other notable performances include Eric Li, Claire Yiu, and Jack Wu.

Eric Li is one of those actors who is capable of giving a memorable performance no matter how unlikable his character is.  Lucky for him, this underrated actor was able to portray a likable and funny character here.  I enjoyed watching the friendship between him and Raymond.  Sadly, I don't think he'll be getting promoted anytime soon.

Claire Yiu has been stuck playing some terrible roles lately, but I surprisingly loved her here.  She was hilarious as the talkative and loud mouthed wife.  She could've easily been annoying, but Claire somehow makes her an entertaining character to watch.

Although boring at times, Jack Wu does well as the kind hearted doctor who loved Tsui Sum.  A decent actor who can emote, I'm surprised Jack has been stuck playing small roles for so long.  This is the most significant role of his I've seen in a while.

Rebecca Chan also showed some vicious acting here as the villain.

The Script
The first two episodes start off quite slow, but fast paced afterwards.  Almost each episode ends with a cliffhanger.  It is entertaining to watch and I found myself surprised at how fast each episode seemed to pass.  For once, the tragic love story was done right.

The Ending
I didn't expect a happy ending for Tsui Sum and Boon-Sin, but Raymond and Niki had so much chemistry I wished it would work out.  They were so passionate and sweet.  After watching 20 episodes of the two trying to find their way back to each other, I couldn't help but hold onto the hope that Boon-Sin was still alive all the way until the end credits started to roll.  Despite that, Tung Boon-Sin's death is fitting due to the nature and genre of the drama and makes their tragic love story memorable.

However, I still have many complaints about how his death was executed.   First off, why was the city square, which is usually bustling with people, completely empty except for one passerby in broad daylight?  Second, if Boon-Sin had enough energy to hobble all the way to the river and get on a boat, surely he could've walked to the hospital.  Silly Boon-Sin.  You could've easily lived happily ever after with Tsui Sum.

Overall
After the first two episodes, "Bottled Passion" is a captivating and entertaining drama about two lovers. I normally turn away anything premodern or romance driven, but this was a wonderful exception due to the acting, script, and pacing.  It deserves all the glowing praise it's been getting and Raymond Wong is already one of my picks my Best Actor this year.  I am very satisfied with the ratings it raked in for the finale despite its terrible time slot.  Unlike many other series I watched or tried to watch this year, this is one of the few that didn't make me feel like I wasted my time.  The highlights of the series however are still definitely Raymond and Niki.

Rating: 4 stars

"The Other Truth" Review

"The Other Truth" is the most case driven drama of the year, which is a shame since it had so much potential for intriguing and sweet love relationships and enjoyable character interactions.  While it is above average compared to other series this year, it falls significantly short of the preceding lawyer drama "Ghetto Justice", which better balanced cases and characters.  Putting aside my love and bias for Ruco Chan, I neither hated "The Other Truth" nor loved it.

Characters and Performances

Ruco Chan - "Keith"
After 17 years of struggling in the entertainment industry despite immense talent and good looks, Ruco finally landed a lead role and received the recognition and praise he deserves for his portrayal of "Keith".  The character feels tailor made for him, as Ruco excels at portraying gray characters.  Ruco has consistently delivered solid performances as semi-villains since returning to TVB, which caused many people to be biased against him.  I am very satisfied that not only did he get the chance to portray a good guy for a wider audience to like him, but was also given the chance to portray such an intriguing character that allowed him to showcase his talent.  Keith highly believes in justice, and is not afraid to take risks and come dangerously to the bottom line in order to achieve it.  Not only does Ruco have charisma that makes Keith ridiculously attractive, but he flawlessly brings out the rebellious and independent nature and unconventional thinking the character is supposed to have.  Ruco portrays Keith in such a charming, subtle, and natural fashion and has my vote for Best Actor as well as Favorite Male Character.

On a slightly off topic note, I usually don't like Producer Amy Wong much, but she gets major bonus points for seeing the talent in Ruco and finally letting my favorite artiste the chance to shine!

Tavia Yeung - "Mavis"
When I learned that Tavia would be portraying an independent and strong lawyer, I was ecstatic.  I thought that she would finally be able to break out of the weak and emotional characters she has been portraying lately.  However, other than being independent and intelligent, Mavis is a flat and uninteresting character.  In return, you wonder why Keith and Wallace both fell for her so hard.  Tavia brings nothing new with this portrayal.  She was sick during filming, which resulted in her screen time being distributed to others.  This makes me wonder, had Tavia not been sick, would Mavis have been more developed?

Raymond Wong - "Wallace"
Although Raymond Wong is another one of my favorite actors, I am glad the writers sidelined him more in favor of promoting Ruco, who has been in the industry a couple more years than Raymond.  "Wallace" was a more laid back and playful character compared to the ones Raymond has portrayed since being promoted to lead with less challenging material.  As a result, he portrays Wallace with ease.  Raymond is a handsome and great actor, but when standing with Ruco, the latter seems to outshine him in both aspects.

While Tavia and Raymond did share many cute scenes together, I preferred Ruco and Tavia together since I think they were more compatible personality wise.  They had things in common, but also had many differences that compliment each other.  Mavis encouraged Keith to be more structured and responsible while Keith encouraged Mavis to act outside the box and be more unorthodox.

Natalie Tong - "Cecillia"
Cecillia was perfectly likable, and her crush on Keith was sweet.  Natalie's performance was average, but I'm starting to feel like all her performances are the same.

Louis Yuen - "James"
Due to him not being nowhere as attractive and professional looking as Keith or Wallace, James is a hardworking and modest yet klutzy lawyer who strives to be taken seriously as a professional.  Although I don't like Louis too much, this was a nice role change for him.  I was annoyed with the amount of screen time he had in the beginning, but he grew on me later on.

Kenneth Ma - "Alex"
Kenneth's portrayal of Alex generated much discussion while the series was airing.  He takes a break from his usual righteous roles, which is a nice change.  There were certainly flaws in his performance (he seemed innocent at times), but overall he delivered.  His last scene was very chilling and realistic!

Highlights 

• Ruco's performance as Keith.
• The jury trial.  It was refreshing and interesting to see the jury interactions.  Not only was it a fantastic new spin on handling the cases, but we got to learn more about how a jury worked.  I commend all the actors featured in the case's jury as well, especially veteran Angelina Lo.
• Keith and Mavis' bickering and bantering scenes.
• Wallace's pursuit of Mavis.  Love how their code for help is "I love you"!
• The scene with Mavis, Keith, Wallace, and James at the restaurant where Keith and Wallace fight over the cheesecake, which is supposed to symbolize Mavis.  James takes the cheesecake away from them, but ends up being too scared to eat it himself.

Overall

The second half of the last episode felt like a slap in the face for me due to most of the time being spent on Louis and Kristal Tin.  I wouldn't mind seeing them get their happy ending if it didn't drag on so long.  It angers me even more that the disappointing conclusion of Keith, Mavis, and Wallace's storyline was simply squeezed into the last minute.

While "The Other Truth" was certainly entertaining and addictive, it left much to be desired.   Some of the cases were poorly executed, such as the "kill the cop" case.  It had a lot of potential and started off strong, but the conclusion could've been better.  Meanwhile, the case with Rosanne Lui and Leanne Li dragged on way too long.  We were introduced to great characters with so much potential.  However, with the exception of Keith, the script fails to dive in and fully explore these characters and their relationships.

Do I want a sequel?  Yes, especially since it will be a direct sequel.  That way, the scriptwriters and producer Amy Wong get a second chance at further developing these characters.  Hopefully, the sequel will balance the cases and relationships better.  I am wary of how it will turn it, but I'm looking forward to it.

Rating: 3 1/2 stars