Rolling Love
Started watching Rolling Love over the weekend. I'd uploaded two episodes onto my Vision W - anything I wasn't very interested in & hence wouldn't mind watching on the bitty screen when I was bored. And I thought I'd picked Romantic Princess but discovered Rolling Love on my media player instead. The first 30 minutes didn't do much to change my expectations of the drama - in fact, I had to force myself to keep watching after the first 5 as this drama has one of the most insane intros ever. Frankly, I'm trying to decide if I've seen anything wackier than this drama (not counting the jversion of Hana Kimi which was highly "under the influence" ;) ).
However, once the story really started, I got hooked very rapidly. It's mostly that I'm a sucker for Jiro - and I think this is one of the most mello characters I've ever seen him as. The dynamics of the love triangle building is very intriguing, too.
Jiro plays Mi Qi Lin, chef of a small, run-down restaurant left to him by his father. His fried rice is so amazing it has the townpeople stampeding over each other for the opportunity to eat, though the rest of his cooking is so bad, they get ill just at the mention of it. His past hasn't been explained much yet but my impression is that he used to be a street-fighter (though I don't think he was a gangster so much as a protector-of-the-oppressed), that he's taken over the shop since his father passed away, currently attends school at night & likes to ride his motorcycle.
His shop is managed by Wa Sa Mi, a domineering personality who keeps the customers in line (literally!) & flaunts her figure at Mi Qi Lin in constant hopes of winning his attention. Cai San Cheng joins the the "fried rice" family in the first episode as general helper in the shop - other than the fact that he's some kind of tag-along/follower from Mi Qi Lin's past, we don't know much else about him either. Except that he's a world-class idiot with incredibly bad breath. (He eerily reminds me of Rob Schnieder in his early days - specifically when he played Iggy in Surf Ninjas. This doesn't help with the impression of his idiocy - I think the two characters are becoming permanenty entwined in my mind! O_O)
Then one day Mi Qi Lin encounters Xiao Shu, a pop star who turned blind due to an accident two years ago. He rescues her when her car breaks down & takes her back to his shop while her aunt waits for the tow truck. Xiao Shu is struck by his kindness & the amusingly rioutous atmosphere of his shop.
Her life is characterized by dealing with her blindness and trying to figure out what to do with Leng Lie - a young, internationally famous chef whos family owns hotels for which he is being groomed to manage. Leng Lie is an old friend who blames himself for Xiao Shu's blindness. He's always loved her but his inability to let go of the guilt he feels has gradually created a distance between them. They may have had a chance before the accident, but his love has become so mixed with guilt & pity that he's gradually suffocating Xioa Shu with his attentions.
So when Xiao Shu suddenly decides she needs some space to think away from Leng Lie, she runs to the only place she knows of that Leng Lie would never think of looking & the one place that makes her feel carefree & happy - Mi Qi Lin's fried rice shop. Calm, cool Mi Qi Lin becomes very flustered & attentive around Xiao Shu & everyone is unsure what to do with the blind popstar who shows up & announces she doesn't intend to leave.
My thoughts so far - Jiro is his adorable self as always with Xiao Shu. I think the attraction between them is almost instant but neither of them are quite aware of it yet. Genie Cho is doing a pretty good job portraying a blind person although I think she has a tendency to always have a huge grin plastered on her face while she gazes at nothing. Danson Tang plays melancholy well - he's pretty much not broken out of that demeanor yet so I don't think he has much of a personality, though I think he's a bit arrogant over his cooking abilities. I was soo annoyed when Xiao Shu was going to stay the night at Mi Qi Lin's & they made Wa Sa Mi stay the night as some kind of chaperone. How are Mi Qi Lin & Xiao Shu going to have any moments with the two others constantly around?! *grr* lol
Preview for episode 3 looks like there's going to be a lunch box contest at Leng Lie's restaurant & Mi Qi Lin is going to enter. And Leng Lie is going tp discover who Xiao Shu's staying with. Looks like the love triangle is going to begin to really form in the next episode!