ToGetHer / Superstar Express
I watched the first two episodes of the new Taiwanese drama, ToGetHer (愛就宅一起 / Ai Jiu Zhai Yi Qi - the English name is stupid, I much prefer the old name, Superstar Express) starring Rainie Yang and Jiro Wang. It's like a fluffier, crackier combination of Mars and Boys Over Flowers and based on the first couple of episodes, looks pretty cute as well.
Jiro plays Mars, a former superstar who has lost quite a lot of his popularity. As a publicity stunt, he agrees to enter school again in order to get his diploma. There he meets Momo (Rainie), a bookish loner who seems to be the only person not fawning over him.
Of course he manages to alienate her almost immediately, but then, in a twist of fate, it turns out he's going to be living in her and her sister's house, renting a room there.
Mars is quite a jerk and much too full of himself, but there are glimpses of insecurity every now and then. And just thinking of how his (former) manager, Yi Zhi, is still supporting even though he's officially been transferred to another performer tells that he probably wasn't always such an idiot. The popularity clearly got into his head and he doesn't know how to cope now that he no longer is the big no.1 star.
But he still gets into silly fixes when he tries to find some instant solution fixes to his current state. Like the school competition in episode 2. The moment he hears the media might be interested, he immediately accepts to be the class representative without even knowing what the contest is about. And it's poetry. In English. A language that he doesn't speak...
"Stray birds of beer" ... "Um, summer" ... "Stray beers of summer"... Hee!
Momo is quite withdrawn and apart from the others students, and is constantly reading manga. I find her obsessive collection of Prince Casaba stuff a bit creepy, but she still seems much more down to earth than her sister, who is constantly spending more money than she earns.
That is also how Mars moves into the house. Renting out the room was one of her money-making schemes and when she finds out who the new inhabitant is, she's overjoyed. She's a big fan of Mars and, of course, wants to tell all her friends who is now staying in her house.
Even though Momo and Mars are constantly bickering, his presence has changed her. He is drawing her out of her shell, even though it also makes her the victim of bullying by the Mars fanclub in her class. Still, the way he irritates has her standing up and publicly telling him off quite a few times, which is quite a difference to the student whom nobody remembered or noticed.
And even though Mars is and irritating jerk at times, she does get to his more vulnerable side as well. His insecurity after she tells him that not everybody likes him, and the way she can't push him away when he gets to the house drunk after a female director wanted him for his boytoy.
That was actually a moment when he showed that he does still have some integrity and is not willing to do anything at all to get back his popularity.
I wonder how they will treat Momo's friend, Jia Sen, in this drama. It's pretty clear that he's mentally disabled or at least very childish for his age. He seems very possessive of Momo while she's protective of him, and he immediately takes a dislike to Mars.
And I'll just end with a random comment:
JIRO IN A MAID COSTUME!!! XD
Heh, the scene where Momo was explaining the house rules to him and he was imagining having to do all kinds of chores in a maid costume was very amusing. That boy's got quite an overactive imagination...
Oh, and also can't not mention they first introduce Jiro's character, sleeping on a bed clad only in his underwear... Thank you, Taiwan, for the fanservice!
Jiro plays Mars, a former superstar who has lost quite a lot of his popularity. As a publicity stunt, he agrees to enter school again in order to get his diploma. There he meets Momo (Rainie), a bookish loner who seems to be the only person not fawning over him.
Of course he manages to alienate her almost immediately, but then, in a twist of fate, it turns out he's going to be living in her and her sister's house, renting a room there.
Mars is quite a jerk and much too full of himself, but there are glimpses of insecurity every now and then. And just thinking of how his (former) manager, Yi Zhi, is still supporting even though he's officially been transferred to another performer tells that he probably wasn't always such an idiot. The popularity clearly got into his head and he doesn't know how to cope now that he no longer is the big no.1 star.
But he still gets into silly fixes when he tries to find some instant solution fixes to his current state. Like the school competition in episode 2. The moment he hears the media might be interested, he immediately accepts to be the class representative without even knowing what the contest is about. And it's poetry. In English. A language that he doesn't speak...
"Stray birds of beer" ... "Um, summer" ... "Stray beers of summer"... Hee!
Momo is quite withdrawn and apart from the others students, and is constantly reading manga. I find her obsessive collection of Prince Casaba stuff a bit creepy, but she still seems much more down to earth than her sister, who is constantly spending more money than she earns.
That is also how Mars moves into the house. Renting out the room was one of her money-making schemes and when she finds out who the new inhabitant is, she's overjoyed. She's a big fan of Mars and, of course, wants to tell all her friends who is now staying in her house.
Even though Momo and Mars are constantly bickering, his presence has changed her. He is drawing her out of her shell, even though it also makes her the victim of bullying by the Mars fanclub in her class. Still, the way he irritates has her standing up and publicly telling him off quite a few times, which is quite a difference to the student whom nobody remembered or noticed.
And even though Mars is and irritating jerk at times, she does get to his more vulnerable side as well. His insecurity after she tells him that not everybody likes him, and the way she can't push him away when he gets to the house drunk after a female director wanted him for his boytoy.
That was actually a moment when he showed that he does still have some integrity and is not willing to do anything at all to get back his popularity.
I wonder how they will treat Momo's friend, Jia Sen, in this drama. It's pretty clear that he's mentally disabled or at least very childish for his age. He seems very possessive of Momo while she's protective of him, and he immediately takes a dislike to Mars.
And I'll just end with a random comment:
JIRO IN A MAID COSTUME!!! XD
Heh, the scene where Momo was explaining the house rules to him and he was imagining having to do all kinds of chores in a maid costume was very amusing. That boy's got quite an overactive imagination...
Oh, and also can't not mention they first introduce Jiro's character, sleeping on a bed clad only in his underwear... Thank you, Taiwan, for the fanservice!