Review/Summary/Rant/Comparison: Love Buffet 1-10
So, I should use my journal for something else other than lists and random drabbles every six months, eh? :D Honestly, I've always wanted a review site, but every attempt has gone in vain... one day, one day >< Yeah right, like that's ever going to happen! So my dead LiveJournal is the next best thing. I doubt anyone will ever read these, but I always like putting my thoughts on down so I can go back to it and see why I liked/disliked it so much.
Anywho, thought I'd start it off with a review of something I'm watching currently: Love Buffet! It's a Taiwanese drama based on the manga Parfait Tic by Nagamu Nanaji. Be prepared for tons of spoilers!
Disclaimer: These reviews contain, for the most part, my opinion. If you don't like them, don't take them to heart! They are just opinions :D
-----
The Basics
Genre: romantic comedy
Country of Origin: Republic of China (Taiwan)
Running Time: 90 minutes (Sundays at 22:00 to 23:30)
Airdate: December 19, 2010 - TBA
Cast
Reen Yu as Hu Xiao Feng (Kameyama Fuuko)
Aaron Yan as Xing Yi Cheng/Ah Yi (Shinpo Ichi)
Calvin Chen as Xing Da Ye (Shinpo Daiya)
Cynthia Wang as Teng Qiu Ying (Akiou)
Shumetheny Chen as Ah Ji (Isobe/Isocchi)
Patty Hou as Yi Ying Zhi (Iori)
Plot & Character Synopsis
"Hu Xiao Feng is a first year Social Studies student in college. One day, two cousins, Xing Yi Cheng and Xing Da Ye, move into the apartment above her house. Ah Yi, a quiet, smart, yet badmouthed guy, becomes part of her class, while Da Ye, the exuberant playboy, is in the class across from her's. Xiao Feng quickly becomes friends with Da Ye and soon develops a crush on him. After confessing her feelings, she gets rejected due to Da Ye not knowing what really liking someone is. Ah Yi is there to comfort her, and she turns her attention to him, eventually falling in love with him.
Due to Ah Yi's inescapable past suddenly barging into his life again, he is forced to deal with it first before he can truly be with Xiao Feng. Unfortunately, this causes her to believe that his feelings for her were just out of pity and once again gets her heart broken. Da Ye, who has been regretting his rejection towards Xiao Feng, now knows what love is as he has fallen in love with her. He quits his playboy ways and instead focuses on her, trying to cheer her up and eventually confesses to her that he won't let her cry any more and that he will protect her.
Xiao Feng still has feelings for Ah Yi, however, as he has taken over her heart. Even still, Xiao Feng accepts Da Ye's feelings and, with his help, tries to forget about Ah Yi and his presence over her. Thus the love triangle begins..."
The drama is fairly good in matching the manga's plot; from the first episode, it almost follows it to a T. The main difference is that everyone is in college instead of high school, although they are all still first years (which makes them 18 years old instead of 15). This makes it a little silly in parts where it seems they are grade schoolers (like the class asking Xiao Feng and Ah Yi if they kissed).
Xiao Feng's (Fuuko) character is more-or-less uninteresting. I found Fuuko to be a lot more happy-go-lucky and overall a much more enjoyable person in the manga than Xiao Feng is. They overplay her sad moments from the manga more so than her happy moments (or just take out those happy moments altogether), so it makes her seem like she's depressed 24/7. It makes me wonder why Ah Yi and Da Ye like her sometimes :S
Another thing to point out is that Da Ye isn't as much of a playboy as Daiya is. In the beginning, Daiya is constantly surrounded by girls and even kissing them. However, Da Ye is only seen comforting one girl at a time, just hugging them and listening to their problems. I don't know about you, but I have guy friends that do that for me... doesn't mean they are players :/
Ah Yi is actually a very likable character when comparing him to Ichi. He smiles a lot more and it seems like they put more emphasis on his scenes with Xiao Feng. They even changed/added a few things that weren't in the manga to make Ah Yi a more likable guy (i.e. changing his speech at the Christmas party). It kind of makes me think the writers wanted Ah Yi and Xiao Feng to be the ending couple, which I hope isn't the case :P
As for secondary characters, I feel as if a lot of them are even less spot-on than the main leads are. Qiu Ying (Akiou) is portrayed as a whore/bitch/slut even before her true nature is revealed, whereas in the manga, she is shown to be friendly and idol-like before her big reveal. Ah Ji (Isobe) pretty much did a total 180, as he is shown off as a creeper more than a sweetheart. Sure, he was nervous a lot in the manga, but they portrayed his nervousness as creepiness in the drama. I won't even start with Xiao Feng's best friends :P
There is something that irks me a lot, and this is probably because I read the manga first, but they severely cut out a lot of crucial DaiyaxFuuko moments and instead pumped out more IchixFuuko. I'm guessing this is to cater to the fangirls of Aaron and, in turn, make Ah Yi's character much more likable than Da Ye's. A few moments they took out so far (that I can remember):
-Daiya bringing Fuuko to the field trip when they missed the bus
-Daiya buying Fuuko a belated birthday present and running into the reporter that mistakes them as a couple
-Fuuko and Daiya's date to the aquarium and most events tying into it afterwards
-Daiya giving Fuuko perfume for Christmas (looking closely at that scene, you can see her holding it in her hands when it zooms out)
-Daiya giving Fuuko's family a postcard for New Year's and then giving her one just for her after that
-Fuuko telling her friends on New Year's Eve that her and Daiya are going out and then eventually bump into him at the festival even though they didn't plan to, which ends up with them spending the rest of the day together
I'm guessing the last two aren't implemented yet because Chinese New Year is in February so I'm hoping they add it later.
Music
Opening song: Guardian Star by Fahrenheit
Ending song: Mistake by Fahrenheit
If you're big on Taiwanese pop bands, you should have noticed by now that the two male leads are Calvin Chen and Aaron Yan from Fahrenheit (Fei Lun Hai). Naturally, they would have Fahrenheit opening and endings, right? Yup! I'm glad they chose these songs; they fit very well. In fact, Mistake was made for the drama and the MV gives away a few spoilers (although in random order)
As for the instrumentals they use during the drama, some are hit and miss. Many times they use classical music but with a fast tempo which make some scenes amazingly hilarious and others making you scratch your head in why they chose to put that song there. There are a few insert songs, such as Exit by Dong Cheng Wei and Chao Xi Huan Ni by Fahrenheit (performed solo by Calvin).
Pros & Cons (determined by + & -)
+ the actors look pretty good in comparison to their manga counterparts
+ combining a few scenes to make the story progress faster
+ the kiss ♥; shocked they put that in
+ Ying Zhi was actually somewhat of a good person compared to Iori
+ Ah Yi isn't as much of a jerk as Ichi
+ Xiao Feng's friends get more screentime than Fuuko's friends in the manga
- Xiao Feng's hair 60% of the time
- characters re-wear too many outfits
- Da Ye isn't as playboy-ish as Daiya is
- cutting out A LOT of DaiyaxFuuko scenes
- made Qiu Ying a bitch when they first introduced her (her fake personality wasn't as believable as Akiou's)
More Information/Where to View
Love Buffet on DramaWiki
Love Buffet on Wikipedia
Watch Love Buffet on MySoju
Watch Love Buffet on Viki.com
Download Love Buffet from D-Addicts
-----
Final Score (for episodes 1-10): 3.75 out of 5
TL;DR: I'd recommend a watch to anyone who enjoyed the manga and to those who like cheesy, cliché romances. I can't come to a final conclusion on the series as a whole, but so far the drama follows the manga about 80%. As long as they don't cut out anymore critical scenes that were in the manga and keep the ending the same, it's right as rain :)
Will keep updates on each individual episode that comes out after this review, instead focusing on the major points of the episode and going more in-depth with comparisons. Keep an eye out :D
Note: will probably add screencaps and make my own scoring icons later on :]
(Boy, it's hard writing a synopsis for stuff as a whole >< I'll stick to individual episodes from now on :P )
Anywho, thought I'd start it off with a review of something I'm watching currently: Love Buffet! It's a Taiwanese drama based on the manga Parfait Tic by Nagamu Nanaji. Be prepared for tons of spoilers!
Disclaimer: These reviews contain, for the most part, my opinion. If you don't like them, don't take them to heart! They are just opinions :D
-----
The Basics
Genre: romantic comedy
Country of Origin: Republic of China (Taiwan)
Running Time: 90 minutes (Sundays at 22:00 to 23:30)
Airdate: December 19, 2010 - TBA
Cast
Reen Yu as Hu Xiao Feng (Kameyama Fuuko)
Aaron Yan as Xing Yi Cheng/Ah Yi (Shinpo Ichi)
Calvin Chen as Xing Da Ye (Shinpo Daiya)
Cynthia Wang as Teng Qiu Ying (Akiou)
Shumetheny Chen as Ah Ji (Isobe/Isocchi)
Patty Hou as Yi Ying Zhi (Iori)
Plot & Character Synopsis
"Hu Xiao Feng is a first year Social Studies student in college. One day, two cousins, Xing Yi Cheng and Xing Da Ye, move into the apartment above her house. Ah Yi, a quiet, smart, yet badmouthed guy, becomes part of her class, while Da Ye, the exuberant playboy, is in the class across from her's. Xiao Feng quickly becomes friends with Da Ye and soon develops a crush on him. After confessing her feelings, she gets rejected due to Da Ye not knowing what really liking someone is. Ah Yi is there to comfort her, and she turns her attention to him, eventually falling in love with him.
Due to Ah Yi's inescapable past suddenly barging into his life again, he is forced to deal with it first before he can truly be with Xiao Feng. Unfortunately, this causes her to believe that his feelings for her were just out of pity and once again gets her heart broken. Da Ye, who has been regretting his rejection towards Xiao Feng, now knows what love is as he has fallen in love with her. He quits his playboy ways and instead focuses on her, trying to cheer her up and eventually confesses to her that he won't let her cry any more and that he will protect her.
Xiao Feng still has feelings for Ah Yi, however, as he has taken over her heart. Even still, Xiao Feng accepts Da Ye's feelings and, with his help, tries to forget about Ah Yi and his presence over her. Thus the love triangle begins..."
The drama is fairly good in matching the manga's plot; from the first episode, it almost follows it to a T. The main difference is that everyone is in college instead of high school, although they are all still first years (which makes them 18 years old instead of 15). This makes it a little silly in parts where it seems they are grade schoolers (like the class asking Xiao Feng and Ah Yi if they kissed).
Xiao Feng's (Fuuko) character is more-or-less uninteresting. I found Fuuko to be a lot more happy-go-lucky and overall a much more enjoyable person in the manga than Xiao Feng is. They overplay her sad moments from the manga more so than her happy moments (or just take out those happy moments altogether), so it makes her seem like she's depressed 24/7. It makes me wonder why Ah Yi and Da Ye like her sometimes :S
Another thing to point out is that Da Ye isn't as much of a playboy as Daiya is. In the beginning, Daiya is constantly surrounded by girls and even kissing them. However, Da Ye is only seen comforting one girl at a time, just hugging them and listening to their problems. I don't know about you, but I have guy friends that do that for me... doesn't mean they are players :/
Ah Yi is actually a very likable character when comparing him to Ichi. He smiles a lot more and it seems like they put more emphasis on his scenes with Xiao Feng. They even changed/added a few things that weren't in the manga to make Ah Yi a more likable guy (i.e. changing his speech at the Christmas party). It kind of makes me think the writers wanted Ah Yi and Xiao Feng to be the ending couple, which I hope isn't the case :P
As for secondary characters, I feel as if a lot of them are even less spot-on than the main leads are. Qiu Ying (Akiou) is portrayed as a whore/bitch/slut even before her true nature is revealed, whereas in the manga, she is shown to be friendly and idol-like before her big reveal. Ah Ji (Isobe) pretty much did a total 180, as he is shown off as a creeper more than a sweetheart. Sure, he was nervous a lot in the manga, but they portrayed his nervousness as creepiness in the drama. I won't even start with Xiao Feng's best friends :P
There is something that irks me a lot, and this is probably because I read the manga first, but they severely cut out a lot of crucial DaiyaxFuuko moments and instead pumped out more IchixFuuko. I'm guessing this is to cater to the fangirls of Aaron and, in turn, make Ah Yi's character much more likable than Da Ye's. A few moments they took out so far (that I can remember):
-Daiya bringing Fuuko to the field trip when they missed the bus
-Daiya buying Fuuko a belated birthday present and running into the reporter that mistakes them as a couple
-Fuuko and Daiya's date to the aquarium and most events tying into it afterwards
-Daiya giving Fuuko perfume for Christmas (looking closely at that scene, you can see her holding it in her hands when it zooms out)
-Daiya giving Fuuko's family a postcard for New Year's and then giving her one just for her after that
-Fuuko telling her friends on New Year's Eve that her and Daiya are going out and then eventually bump into him at the festival even though they didn't plan to, which ends up with them spending the rest of the day together
I'm guessing the last two aren't implemented yet because Chinese New Year is in February so I'm hoping they add it later.
Music
Opening song: Guardian Star by Fahrenheit
Ending song: Mistake by Fahrenheit
If you're big on Taiwanese pop bands, you should have noticed by now that the two male leads are Calvin Chen and Aaron Yan from Fahrenheit (Fei Lun Hai). Naturally, they would have Fahrenheit opening and endings, right? Yup! I'm glad they chose these songs; they fit very well. In fact, Mistake was made for the drama and the MV gives away a few spoilers (although in random order)
Click to viewAs for the instrumentals they use during the drama, some are hit and miss. Many times they use classical music but with a fast tempo which make some scenes amazingly hilarious and others making you scratch your head in why they chose to put that song there. There are a few insert songs, such as Exit by Dong Cheng Wei and Chao Xi Huan Ni by Fahrenheit (performed solo by Calvin).
Pros & Cons (determined by + & -)
+ the actors look pretty good in comparison to their manga counterparts
+ combining a few scenes to make the story progress faster
+ the kiss ♥; shocked they put that in
+ Ying Zhi was actually somewhat of a good person compared to Iori
+ Ah Yi isn't as much of a jerk as Ichi
+ Xiao Feng's friends get more screentime than Fuuko's friends in the manga
- Xiao Feng's hair 60% of the time
- characters re-wear too many outfits
- Da Ye isn't as playboy-ish as Daiya is
- cutting out A LOT of DaiyaxFuuko scenes
- made Qiu Ying a bitch when they first introduced her (her fake personality wasn't as believable as Akiou's)
More Information/Where to View
Love Buffet on DramaWiki
Love Buffet on Wikipedia
Watch Love Buffet on MySoju
Watch Love Buffet on Viki.com
Download Love Buffet from D-Addicts
-----
Final Score (for episodes 1-10): 3.75 out of 5
TL;DR: I'd recommend a watch to anyone who enjoyed the manga and to those who like cheesy, cliché romances. I can't come to a final conclusion on the series as a whole, but so far the drama follows the manga about 80%. As long as they don't cut out anymore critical scenes that were in the manga and keep the ending the same, it's right as rain :)
Will keep updates on each individual episode that comes out after this review, instead focusing on the major points of the episode and going more in-depth with comparisons. Keep an eye out :D
Note: will probably add screencaps and make my own scoring icons later on :]
(Boy, it's hard writing a synopsis for stuff as a whole >< I'll stick to individual episodes from now on :P )