Review on Taiwanese Drama: Corner with Love(2007)

Title: Corner with Love

Genre: Taiwanese Drama

Duration: 16 episodes

Theme Song: Love Courage by Lai Ya Yan

Cast:

Barbie Hsu as Xin Lei

Show Luo as Qin Lang

Chen Zhi Kai as Yin Shang Dong

Lu Jia Xin as Cai Xiao Yang

Dean Fujioka as An Teng Feng

Synopsis:

Xin Lei ( Barbie Hsu) is a wealthy, intelligent, confident and beautiful girl who has never known a day of hardship.  Her family is a business tycoon in Shanghai and she is engaged to Yin Shang Dong (Chen Zhi Kai) who is also perfect in every way.  he has only lived a life of fairytale and has never known a day of hardship as everyone tends to dote on her and treat her as a princess.  Her car accidentally crashes with Qin Lang's bike (Show Luo) on her way to meet with Shan Dong.  They met again when Xin Lei eats at the restaurant that Show Luo works at and loves the omelette he made that she asks him to teach her how to make it in order to impress the family of Shan Dong with her cooking skills.  Everything should have worked out until Xin Lei's family declared bankruptcy and her parents abandon her to escape their debtors thinking Shan Dong's family would take her of her. Unfortunately, Shan Dong also abandons her and gets engaged with another girl whose family is also wealthy.  Her parents only left her with a ticket and a house in Taiwan which Xin Lei decides to pursue since Shan Dong's family asked her to break away from Shan Dong since he was wavering and wanted to cancel the engagement with the new girl to be with Xin Lei.

Qin Lang is a frustrated artist whose father abandons his mother and him to pursue his passion for painting.  He goes to Shanghai with the hopes of pursuing his dream of becoming a renowned painter but was cheated of his money, his passport and his ticket.  Left with no money and no other choice, he worked as a cook to earn his ticket back to Taiwan, making his grandma's famous seafood fry.  He helps Xin Lei make the dish although he is annoyed at her princess complex and at the same time, he seems to be invariably drawn to her.  When Xin Lei's family declares bankruptcy and her fiancee abandons her, he found himself worrying about her and wanting to protect the princess and does everything to cheer her up.  Unfortunately, he had to go back to Taiwan to take care of his grandmother, unwillingly leaving Xin Lei behind and thinking that they would never meet again.

Coincidentally, they meet again in Taiwan and it turns out that the house that was left to Xin Lei by her parents is Qin Lang's house.  Xin Lei tried to drive Qin Lang's family out of the house which infuriated his grandmother and wanted Xin Lei out of the house since she can show no proof of ownership of the house.  Knowing that Xin Lei has nowhere else to go, Qin Lang lied to his grandmother saying that Xin Lei is his girlfriend who is now penniless and homeless and pleaded she let her stay.  The grandmother reluctantly lets her stay under the condition that she has to help with the household chores and she has to find a job and pay her rent for staying in the house.

A series of unfortunate events happen which leads Xin Lei to face up to her life's situation and learn to adapt to her new environment.  She is unable to give up her princess complex but little by little, warmed up to Qin Lang's family and the kind of life they were leading.  In the end, she would have to make a choice between staying as a princess in her castle or to lead a simpler life of a commoner for love.

Review:

The drama began interestingly but latter dragged on with unnecessary subplots and too much drama.  I started out not liking Qin Lang as I found his character too loud and unrefined compared to Shan Dong's gentlemanly image.  But Qin Lang's character grew on me as his undying devotion to Xin Lei was so evident even as they continue their incessant bickering.  I felt the drama could have been shortened and I felt that the quarrels they always have become too much for a 16-long episode drama. 

It was also difficult to watch Shan Dong's acting as he tried to show frustration and anger but the acting was so awkward I had to forward the scene.  I had to also skip a lot of the drama since I found some parts to be too painfully dragging.  At the end of the drama, I found myself unmoved as Xin Lei struggled to make her decision to abandon Qin Lang so they could get their house back. 

I shed a lot of tears for Shancai in Meteor Garden but for some reason, I just wasn't moved with her acting in this drama. Barbie's acting was just alright but I found that a lot of the other cast's acting really bad and exaggerated that it hampered me from really enjoying the show since the portrayal was so unbelievable.  It was also obvious that a lot of the parts in the drama were prolonged just so it could be longer. 

I felt they could have developed the story better and given it more twists and depth.

The drama could have ended in just 9 episodes and I don't know why it had to go on until 16 episodes.

It's a good thing that the show had some eye candies like Dean Fujioka (dreamy eyes!!!) and Chen Zhi Kai or I would not have forced myself to finish the drama. 

I am giving this drama 5 out of 10 stars.