Tracklist
1. Aitakute
2. MORNING-EVENING
3. goin’ places
4. The Letter
5. Aitakute -DJ Mitsu the Beats PM1:30 mix-

Aitakute / MORNING-EVENING / goin’ places is MONKEY MAJIK’s 9th single. It was released on June 25, 2008 and peaked at #21 on the weekly charts, so far selling around 10,000 copies.

Aitakute starts off a bit slow, with a wistful melody. The pre-chorus is really pretty with the high notes, but even so, I like the chorus better. The flow from Japanese to English and back is really well done and the melody itself is quite pretty. After listening to it many times, I’ve grown to really love this track. Plus, the arrangement is so beautiful as well, especially the backing guitar part. Sometimes I think that this song gives me the same feeling as one of my favorite YUI songs, Blue Wind.

MORNING-EVENING picks up the pace with quick rhythms and fast paced vocals. I really like the drum set part; it just adds to the quick and hurried pace. But even though it’s pretty fast paced, it still retains that sort of laid back feeing. There’s also a really good interlude/bridge combo with some really nice rhythms.

I really like the “ah ah oh oh” phrasing in goin’ places; it’s pretty simple but gives the track this extra funky feel to it. And that tambourine is really nice. It’s a really fun track with a catchy melody and near the end, the vocal overlaps sound great. Even though goin’ places is a little repetitive at time, I don’t mind at all because the melody is good.

The Letter is an acoustic ballad in English. It’s a low key track with an emotional melody and beautiful lyrics. The simple arrangement (just guitar and a bit of percussion) really makes you focus on just the vocals and the lovely melody. It’s really pretty and I love listening to it.

The remix of Aitakute adds some synth with a loungey feel to it. I guess it’s not bad, but I prefer the original. The vocals are just as good here, though.

Buy this single: CD only

Tracklist
1. Ai Ai Ai
2. Shu Li Zhen
3. Ge Shou Yu Mo Te Er
4. Ai! Feat. Fama
5. Si Ren You Feat. Fiona Sit
6. Shou Tuo Shou
7. Tou Xiao
8. Goodbye Melody Rose
9. Shi Ren De Qing Ren
10. Tuo Nan Dai Nu
11. Love Interlude
12. If you leave me now
13. Chun Feng Cui Zhi Cui Cui Feng (Mix)

Ai Ai Ai uses an interesting mix of strings and Khalil’s calm beats. The strings give the song a real classical feel but the rhythms are clearly soul, and it combines for a really pleasant song. I love everything about this song: the melodies, the lyrics, and rhythms. Even though “ai” is repeated, it doesn’t sound old or repetitive. Around the end, he’s backed up by a bunch of people and it sounds great.

Shu Li Zhen picks up the pace a little, using clapping and a lone violin. I especially like the chorus melody, which is a little sweet but definitely retains his light R&B and soul genre. This track has a happy and upbeat feeling to it, but at the same time there’s a little sadness.

Ge Shou Yu Mo Te Er starts off with acoustic guitar and I like the different kinds of percussion instruments he uses in the arrangements, which give each piece more individuality. The internal rhythms in the chorus are really nice and sometimes this song gives me a country feel. I don’t really like country that much, but I like this song.

The chorus in Ai! has a really catchy rhythm. Most of the time they are just backed up the beats but at some points there’s also a piano. There’s also a rap here. This is a pretty good song, I suppose, but I’m always annoyed with it by the end.

I really really like Si Ren You. It starts off with a conversation between two friends (ex-es?) that at the same time is sweet and heart breaking. Like in the chorus, they sing “I guess after all, we can only just be friends.” The song is really actually a conversation but still sung - at the beginning they talk about each other’s boyfriend/girlfriend. The melody is so great and their voices go together so well. I just love it.

Shou Tuo Shou has a jazzy feeling to it with the bass as its beat and big-band brass. I love the fun and upbeat feeling to this track. It’s kind of short, though, not even three minutes long. This piece, especially, shows how many genres his fuses together.

Tou Xiao goes back his usual simplistic style with just his beat and a couple of select instruments backing up his soulful singing. The chorus is especially good but the verses don’t stick out too much. For some reason his voice sounds a little off, but besides that it’s a good piece.

I’ve always liked Goodbye Melody Rose. I think it’s the ominous piano melody that plays throughout the entire song. There’s also some string parts in here, which just further the ominous and hurried feeling. Plus the melodies are really well done as well.

Shi Ren De Qing Ren has some really interesting, very ethnic sounding instrumentation. I don’t really like the verses that much, but the chorus is really well done, especially the vocal back-up which sounds just impeccable.

Tuo Nan Dai Nu is a pretty fun track, with its bouncy tempo and rhythms. Everything about this track has this “feel good” vibe. What’s really interesting about this song is that all the lyrics are repeated, except translated into English. And what’s really great is that is sound so good both ways. The beats and rhythms are so good and I really like the piano and string parts in the arrangement.

Love Interlude is similar to his Prologue in his debut album. It’s Khalil just talking a bit with a computerized voice in the background listing off the definitions of love.

If you leave me now is an R&B flavored ballad. It’s all in English and Khalil’s English is perfect, as expected. I really love this song because the melody is so sweet and the tempo is perfect. I love how he varies parts of the verses/melody near the end. As much as I love sweeping arrangements and complex pieces, simplicity is always welcome because who doesn’t like a classic sound?

Chun Feng Cui Zhi Cui Cui Feng is a remix of Chun Feng Cui from his first album. It’s really beautiful, but keeps the best parts of the original track.

Khalil Fong’s second album continues with his fresh mix of hip-hop and soul. Actually,Ai Ai Ai was the first album I listened to from Khalil. I was really taken by his melding of different genres, not to mention how diverse his influences seem to be. A few of the songs are pretty reminiscent of a few tracks off his debut album, but as a whole this is a very strong album - and definitely worth a listen, even if you think you won’t like it (seriously!).

Buy this album: CD + DVD

Tracklist
1. NO IMAGE
2. Jasper
3. Yellow
4. STARs
5. Famiredo
6. dejavu
7. Samantha
8. +1
9. No Reason Why
10. Kagami yo Kagami
11. Hayaru Kimochi Teki My World
12. 1115
13. Humpty Dumpty

Kimura Kaela’s fourth album was released on April 2, 2008. It peaked at #3, currently selling over 150,000 copies.

For some reason, the entire Yellow single is included on the album. Well, I should be thankful that they didn’t include the b-side to Samantha. But if they’re going for b-sides, Jasper’s b-side would have been a good addition. dejavu and No Reason Why are pretty good, though, so I suppose it’s not the end of the world. Onto the new tracks.

The album’s namesake, +1, is a decent track. It starts off with Kaela’s voice slightly distorted with some really light synth. I like the chorus, but the rest of the song feels so painfully slow. Listening to the internal rhythm in the verses, I feel like the tempo should be like…twice as fast.

STARs is a pretty straightforward pop rock track. It has a few of Kaela’s trademark funky rhythms. Although the melodies aren’t really that memorable, it’s fun to listen to. And for some reason, it feels kind of long, even though it’s really not.

The intro to NO IMAGE is weird and strange and does nothing for the rest of the song. What an ironic way to open the album. I don’t really like this song that much, but it gets slightly better at the chorus when she’s not just singing against the bass beats. I guess it’s not a bad song, but it doesn’t live up to Scratch’s opening track, L.drunk (which I adore by the way).

The intro to Kagami yo Kagami sounds so familiar but I have no idea where it’s from. But it’s sounds really ominous, which is ironic because the first phrase she sings is “aishiteru” or “I love you.” I like the verse and chorus melodies for this song, but those guitar riffs backing it up sound so out of place against it.

Famiredo is a pretty solid track with a driving beat and a pretty catchy melody. It’s a lot better than a lot of her more recent stuff, which I guess is good but doesn’t say too much because I haven’t liked a lot of it. I do like this track though, and I think I could have the chorus stuck in my head all day.

Once Hayaru Kimochi Teki My World gets out the intro, I really like it. It’s really high energy with blaring guitar riffs and super loud percussion. The bridge is kind of weird, like it fits but it also feels out of place at the same time. But overall, it’s not bad.

1115 is one of my favorite new tracks. The chorus is really catchy, especially the repetition. The first verse feels really raw, but the rest of the verses are a less heavy. Plus the arrangement is really well done and the intro sounds great.

The album closes with Humpty Dumpty, a soft track that uses nursery-rhyme-like piano and ethereal synth. It sounds like a children’s song, but not not as much as Utada Hikuar’s Boku wa Kuma, because it still uses a pretty standard VCVC type format and even has as nice interlude in the middle.

+1 didn’t enjoy the success of Scratch and rightly so. I have to admit it’s hard to pull off a great album when there have been some mediocre singles but it is still very possible. I love Scratch and every time I hear more of Kaela’s music, I just unconsciously compare it to the track I love to much on Scratch. While there are some quality tracks on +1, there’s less of those than of mediocre song. Also, it would have been nice to see a few more softer songs or ballads, like Humpty Dumpty.

Buy this album: CD only | CD + DVD

MONKEY MAJIK is a four piece rock band consisting of Maynard and Blaise Plant (vocals and guitar), Kikuchi Takuya (aka tax, drummer) and DICK (bass). Maynard worked in Japan as a language teacher and later called his brother over, who was a solo musician in Canada. The band was formed in 2000 in Sendai and today they are still based there today. They’ve had a lot of success on the indie Oricon charts and usually chart #1 in the Sendai area. Now they’re signed on a sublabel of avex, binyl records. Their singles usual chart moderately well and their major-label albums have all made it to the weekly top 10.

When I say that they’re a rock band, I use the term a little loosely. Sure, some of their songs have a more traditional rock sound, but most of their music uses acoustic guitars rather than electric, so I suppose a better term would be acoustic rock? I would even venture to say that there’s a bit of soul and hip-hop influence in their music as well. Anyway, what so great about MONKEY MAJIK is their seamless blend of Japanese and English, the laid back feeling of their tracks and the ever-so slightly raspy voices. I only recently started listening to them when I first heard Tada, Arigatou (still to be released), which was the theme song of Ando Natsu. I was really taken by the rhythm, the feel good atmosphere, and most of all, the sweet melody. But anyway, there will be more of that when I fully review it. For now, there’s this single.

Together / Akari / Fall Back
Tracklist
1. Together
2. Akari
3. Fall Back
4. one more chance
5. Together -Night Falls Mix-

Together / Akari / Fall Back is MONKEY MAJIK’s 8th single. It was released on April 23, 2008 and sold over 35,000 copies.

Together has a pretty full arrangement with acoustic guitar and piano most prominently. The melodies are really pleasant and I especially like rhythm within the verses. The pre-chorus is also really good, particularly the little breaks right before the chorus starts. The chorus is a grower - I first thought it was just okay, but the more I listen to it, the more I like it - it’s catchy and this really sweet and warm feeling. It’s not really a ground breaking track, but if everything is like this, I’d have no problem with it.

Even though I’ve come to think of MONKEY MAJIK as an acoustic rock band, they always use piano really beautifully. Akari is no exception, and though the piano fades to background in the later parts of song, it starts off with a simple but pretty piano line. It’s a sweet ballad and it is so good. The chorus is amazing , especially their harmonization - which is spot on. There’s this one part where they are just backed piano and then the rest of the arrangement flows back in that’s done so well.

Fall Back is a more traditional rock track with its electric guitar riffs. There’s this talking part where their voices are a little distorted that’s not bad but kind of weird (although the more I listen to it, the better it gets). But the really nice this about it is that I really like the transition back to the chorus. And speaking of the chorus, it’s fun and catchy and a lot more high energy (as compared to their laid-back acoustic tracks). The sad this about this track is it’s only about 3 minutes long.

The first time I heard one more chance, I really like the guitar rhythm but the drums against it sounded really…off. And then the vocals came in, and it was just really weird combination. There’s also this rap sequence that makes this awkward track even more awkward. This track is just a big jumble of a bunch of ideas that separately could have made some interesting songs.

The remix of Together’s not bad. There’s some light synth in the background and some other funky stuffs that doesn’t sound bad, but doesn’t meld with the melodies as well as the acoustics did. Vocals are good, though.

Buy this single: CD only

Tracklist
1. Odore
2. Yukiyanagi ~we’re watching you~
3. Odore -Instrumental-
4. Yukiyanagi ~we’re watching you~ -Instrumental-

Anyone remember Yuna Ito’s Mahaloha single? It was a duet with Micro from the now broken up Def Tech, and he has also started his own solo career. Odore is his second single, released on May 21, 2008. It debuted at #8 on the weekly charts and has sold over 30,000 copies. Also, it was theme song for the Aoi Yu drama Osen (which is where I first heard it).

Odore has this folksy, yet R&B/hip-hop feel to it. There’s this rap sequence in it, that I guess isn’t too bad, but feels a bit out of place. The verse melody and chorus melody are really good, especially the internal rhythm. Lately I’ve had the chorus stuck in my head, which is undoubtedly the best part of the song. Micro has a bit of a raspy voice, which actually works quite well for Odore. As a whole, I really like this track, but if I could just get rid of the rap sequence…

The b-side is also pretty good. There’s some really interesting classical elements in the arrangement, but the track is still distinctly modern. It reminds me a bit of Mahaloha, with the clapping and the island-y feel. I like the melodies; they’re not really catchy as Osen but are quite pleasant. His raspy voice doesn’t work as well here, though, as is does in Odore, but at least there’s no rapping.

Buy this single: CD only

Starring:
Lee Joon-ki as Min
Miyazaki Aoi as Nanae

Min is a Korean high school student who has moved to Japan with his father, who is a pottery teacher. Riding his bike around Kyoto, he accidently crashes and is cleaning his wound at a shrine where is meets Nanae, who works there. Min doesn’t understand a word of Japanese, and Nanae doesn’t know any Korean. At first, the two communicate through hand gestures and broken English. After enrolling at the high school is father will be teaching at, he chases after Nanae who coincidentally is also a student there. He pursues her pretty aggressively and slowly the two overcome the language barriers, but unfortunately that’s not the only thing that is destined to keep them apart.

One thing that’s really important to enjoy this movie is to be able to tell the difference between Japanese and Korean. If it all sounds the same, then the whole idea of overcoming cultural and language barriers is mostly lost. And that’s a lot of what the movie is about. Like this: when Min first realizes that Nanae is a student at his school as well, he pursues her kind of aggressively, but his friend and classmates tells him that Japanese girls (especially Kyoto girls) are shy and that he needs to go slower. Or this scene where Min races this random monk on a bicycle that he bumps into on the street, just for kicks. If you’ve ever been somewhere where you couldn’t understand their language, you can probably understand Min’s frustrations and funny coincidences. Generally, his integration into daily life can be quite entertaining.

The film moves at a pretty good pace, though it can be slow at some points. And while Lee Joon-ki and Miyazaki Aoi are both excellent actors, I don’t know if I really believe in them as a pairing. I still think the romance aspect was well done, though. There’s definitely that aspect of fate and that through all these obstacles they still managed to find each other. It’s ironic that the first time they meet, the only way they can communicate is through broken English. But even still, without really speaking each other languages, they find this common ground and become so close.

While Virgin Snow is a pretty enjoyable romance film, the best theme here was overcoming the cultural and language barriers between the two leads. If you like these types of quiet love stories or cultural stories, then this film is for you.

Buy this movie: HK DVD | J Special Edition

Starring
Eita as Komoto Takuma
Ueno Juri as Shibata Haruka
Yoza Yoshiaki as Niimi Masaru
Kawaoka Daijiro as Koizumi Shunsuke
Nagano Munenori as Soga Atsushi
Maki Yoko as Ito Yui
Sasaki Kuranosuke as Jose
Muri Tsuyoshi as Ishimatsu Daigo
Honda Riki as Tamura Akira

Summer Time Machine Blues is one of the most fun movies I’ve ever watched that only gets better the more times you watch it. It’s the story of five guys in the sci-fi club (though they’re not really sci-fi fans) and two girls in the photography club that share a clubroom. It’s a hot summer day and in an accident, the remote to their air conditioner breaks. The next day a time machine suddenly appears in their clubroom. At first, the gang is unsure of what they should do with it, but then they have an idea. How about going back to yesterday to prevent the air conditioner remote from breaking?

What’s so enjoyable about this movie it that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. I mean, I love deep movies, but if that was all I watched (or anyone watched for that matter) I may as well become depressed. Plus, isn’t it so great to just have random fun sometimes? And that’s what Summer Time Machine Blues is all about: spontaneous, random silliness.

The first time around is confusing, I admit. But once you watch it twice, three times, etc. you’ll notice something new every time. For other movies, watching it more than once can be a chore, but it’s total fun every time - and doesn’t that make a movie so much more worthwhile? Even though it’s still fun to watch more than once, it’s important to not know everything the first time around, so I won’t say much more.

The cast did a good job, giving a charming and fun-filled representation of a group of friends always playing around with each other. Eita and Ueno Juri are sort of paired up in here as the couple that could be. In the end, this is film is worth your watch and begs the question of whether the future is already determined or if it’s something you take control of.

Buy this movie: Collector’s edition | Standard’s edition

Tracklist
1. Wo You Wo De Young
2. Xia Xue
3. Zhi Dui Ni You Gan Jue - featuring Hebe from S.H.E.
4. Yi Ge Ren Liu Lang
5. Zhao Xing Fu Gei Ni
6. Ai Dao
7. Chu Kou
8. 2 Yue 30 Hao Jian
9. Qing Zai Wo Hou Hui Zhi Qian Li Kai Wo
10. Bu Si Zhi Mi
11. Zhi Dui Ni You Gan Jue - remix

Even though I’ve said that Fahrenheit as a group is pretty different from Johnny’s group, music-wise, they’re not much different. They’re well produced, supported by good songwriters, and most importantly - well marketed. Vocally, they’re not bad, but of course there’s always room for improvement. Also, when you first start listening to them, it’s difficult to tell the different between their voices except for Wu Chun who’s bass; the rest are all tenor.

Wo You Wo De Young is their first single; it’s a pretty standard boy band track that gives each member some solo lines with the rest of the group harmonizing in the background. It’s pretty obvious in this song that they can’t quite reach some of the higher notes. In their vocal range, there’s no problem at all - it’s all very good. Next time the song writers better keep their ranges in mind…it’s no good to hear them stretching for the note. Besides that though, this is a really fun song with a catchy chorus.

Zhi Dui Ni You Gan Jue features Hebe Tian from girl group S.H.E. of the same music label. Their voices go together really nicely and the song is quite catchy. The synth and the strings are some really nice touches in the arrangement. This was one of the first song I ever listened to, before I really became a fan and even then I still liked this song. The album also includes a remix. It doesn’t really depart from the original very much, a bit faster with a heavier beat and has a little extra synth. It’s not bad, but it’s not better than the original mix.

Generally, Fahrenheit does well with ballads and there are loads on this album. Xia Xue is the first of their slow and sweet ballads. The arrangement is quite pretty and utilizes their ability to harmonize well, while keeping them in their respective vocal ranges. It’s not ground breaking or anything, but it is very soothing to listen to and I wouldn’t mind having this piece on repeat. Yi Ge Ren Liu Lang is a really nice acoustic piece, starting off with some solo lines. I really like the guitar part in the arrangement; it’s simple but very pretty. Like Xia Xue, it’s a soothing piece and vocals are pretty good here too. Although the verses are a little boring, the chorus is quite nice.

Chu Kou is a slightly more upbeat semi-ballad. Vocals are pretty good here and the harmonizing is done well. There’s a little piano solo in the middle that’s really nice. The verses are also not bad and the chorus can be quite pretty at some points. There’s also a key change, but it doesn’t really add anything special to the song.

2 Yue 30 Hao Jian picks up the pace (finally!) but unfortunately whoever wrote the melody lines forgot that these boys can’t reach some of the higher notes in the chorus. This is sad because the verses are pretty good and rather fun. Maybe they should re-record this someday when they develop a better range. Qing Zai Wo Hou Hui Zhi Qian Li Kai Wo is another ballad that suffers similarly from the boys stretching for a few of the high notes. The melody lines are rather pretty at some points and there is this one part where Aaron (I think) is just backed by piano, which is really nice.

For some reason the intro to Zhao Xing Fu Gei Ni sounds really familiar, like I’ve heard it somewhere but I can’t put my finger on it. The arrangement has a bit of a Latin feel to it and as for the song, it’s another ballad. There’s a little bit of English and since 3/4 can speak English fairly well, pronunciation is spot on. This one is a little boring and feels a little draggy, even though it’s not actually very long.

Ai Dao has light R&B feeling. I really like this track especially because of chorus. Even though it’s a bit repetitive, the melody is quite nice and I don’t really mind it. Although it’s ballad-like, it distinguishes itself from others because of the light beat and the slightly faster tempo. Also, the guitar part is quite nice.

Bu Si Zhi Mi is a big departure from the rest of the album with its heavy rock and rap theme. It feels really out of place on an album full of ballads, but I am welcoming it even though I don’t really like rap that much. It’s done quite well, and I’m liking it.

What’s kind of nice is that they don’t stick to one genre or look. They have their straight pop and their ballads, but there are also light R&B and even rap tracks. But still, it’d be nice to see less ballads and a more balanced album the next time around.

Starring:
Yamada Takayuki as Takeshima Naoki
Sawajiri Erika as Shirai Yumiko
Tamayama Tetsuji as Takeshima Takashi
Fukiishi Kazue as Nakajo Asami
Onoue Hiroyuki as Terao Yusuke
Fukikoshi Mitsuru as Ogata Tadao

Every month, Naoki receives a letter from his brother, Takashi. Though they used to be very close, Takashi is now in prison for life. While Takashi was never a star pupil, Naoki is, and Takashi is determined to send his little brother to college. He works very hard, but unfortunately he hurts his back and was fired from his job. Unable to find work, he robs a house out of desperation, and when he is running he bumps into the elderly woman who lives there; the two struggle, and she dies. Because of this, he is send to prison and Naoki is branded “a murderer’s brother.” The story focuses mostly on Naoki and discrimination against him because of his brother, though he has done nothing wrong. Other characters include Yumiko, a girl who has always watched from the side and becomes his good friend; Yusuke, his friend since junior high; and Asami, who becomes his girlfriend.

Tegami is a good example of a movie that could only be Asian. I could never imagine Hollywood releasing a film like this because even if your relative is a criminal, you wouldn’t be blamed, much less blatantly discriminated for it. I think this stems from the fact that Western society is very individualistic and what you doesn’t have much to do with your relatives. But for Asians, what you do reflects on the rest of your family. Even the circumstances of Takashi’s “murder” are questionable. And since he hurt is back while working, we Americans would demand payment for that, but I suppose it just doesn’t work that way for the Japanese.

Because of this, Naoki is forced to find new jobs and to move often, even though he was the top student and could have easily gone to good university. Instead, he works jobs for meager wages, just trying to get by. At first, he feels wronged and discriminated against. Eventually, he comes to accept this as his fate of a murderer’s brother. Though he receives letters from his brother every month, he has stopped writing back.

You know, no matter how much Naoki may have loved his brother before the “murder,” what’s happening to him now is enough to make him hate his brother. It’s regretful that it comes to hating his brother when the real culprit is society. It’s partly because Asians are so gossipy and prone to spreading rumors (just looks at all the scandals in Asian media!). Many times, rumors and gossip hold more weight than the truth. For Hollywood stars, not even being charged with illegal drug abuse and the like is enough to destroy a career…

Not only does Tegami have an interesting and compelling storyline, the three co-stars are all accomplished actors and actresses. Tamayama Tetsuji impresses me in everything I see him in, no matter how small the role. He always makes an impact. Also, he has a wonderful narrating voice, since he isn’t the film physically as much as he is vocally, narrating his letters. Yamada Takayuki as Naoki was also a treat. He was one the first actors that I ever got into; I’ve watched bunches of his dramas (Sekachu, H2, Water Boys, Byakuyakou, etc) and it’s nice to watch him again. He pulls off this role well, starting from feeling discriminated against to just quietly accepting it without question. Even if Sawajiri Erika is a bitch (or seems to be one), I still like her acting. She starts out looking a little more homely and then later turns into a much modern student. I watched this movie with my sister and she said, “what? Is that the same person?” Besides that, she plays the role of a strong woman nicely, with plenty of determination and spunk.

Tegami is a very interesting film that is definitely worth a watch. With a great cast and an equally great storyline, what’s not to like? It’s not a light movie, though, so don’t expect much romance.

Buy this movie: HK DVD | J Premium Edition

Starring:
Barbie Xu as Yu Xin Lei
Alan Luo as Qin Lang
Lu Jia Xin as Cai Xiao Yang
Carolyn Chen as Wen Bi Zhu
Dean Fujioka as An Teng Feng
Fang Fang as Du Dan Po
Harlem Yu as Lian Sheng Quan
Zhang Li Wei as Ah Da
Chen Yan Ru as Jiu Ba Dao
Huang Hong Sheng as Ah Yi
Chen Zhi Kai as Yin Shang Dong
Jiang Chao as Xiao Pang
Fan Ming as Cui Ge
Xiao Jian as Bao Che Ren
Wu Yan Xuan as childhood Qin Lang

Corner with Love starts off in Shanghai, introducing us to the two main characters: Yu Xin Lei and Qin Lang. Xin Lei is from a wealthy family and is dating Shang Dong, who comes from a family just as privileged as hers. Qin Lang, on the other hand, works at a small restaurant and lives upstairs with his co-workers. He’s from Taiwan and came to Shanghai to pursue his dream of drawing, but was conned and lost his money and passport. The two meets when Xin Lei’s chauffer brakes suddenly, causing Qin Lang to crash into them with his bike.

They meet again later when Xin Lei is looking to impress Shang Dong’s parents by cooking Taiwanese snacks. She comes to the restaurant Qin Lang works at and is impressed with their oyster pancakes and he teaches her how to make them. Though they often argue, they somehow build a tentative friendship. Soon after, Xin Lei’s parents go bankrupt and they leave without telling her, leaving her with a note and a key to their house in Taiwan. Then Qin Lang returns to Taiwan, so he and Xin Lei say goodbye, thinking they will never see each other again.

Little do they know that the house Xin Lei’s parents left for her is actually Qin Lang’s house and his family has been living there for decades. When Xin Lei arrives, Qin Lang’s grandmother allows her to stay as a tenant. The drama chronicles Xin Lei’s adjustment to her new, much less sophisticated and privileged life and the budding relationship between her and Qin Lang.

As a whole, I really enjoyed Corner with Love. Straight away, Qin Lang narrates to us that he loves corners because of the surprises around the bend; you never know what’ll happen. This theme plays a huge role in the drama; it’s all about coincidences, missed chances, and misunderstandings. Coincidences such as the meeting at the restaurant and the same house; missed chances like walking past each other but not seeing the other person or being a second too late; and misunderstanding each others’ words, causing arguments on accident.

The integration of Qin Lang’s art into the drama was a nice touch. I’m not sure who actually drew it, but the drawings in the drama really do exist. Since the drama was adapted from a novel of the same name, which was written by Jiu Ba Dao who seems to be a popular writer in Taiwan, a lot of the his quotes and novel’s artwork was used. I have to say, I really like the art pieces; it’s cute, rather sweet, and wistful at points. Next time I go to Taiwan, I might want to go and buy this book just for the art.

As per usual of Taiwanese dramas, side characters are given little back story, even when the drama starts setting it up. I guess this is just something I have to get used to, but it’s still a shame that you don’t really get to know any of the other characters, even with the longer episode series. Well, all the side characters are likeable, except for Xiao Yang, which I shouldn’t have to explain (if you watch it that is). I think I fell in love with Dean Fujioka (even though his Chinese isn’t so good) and he’s going to be co-starring in a drama with Abe Tsuyoshi (from Hanadan) and the girl who sang the opening theme, Megan Lai, so I’ll be interested to see that later.

I’ve watched Barbie Xu in a couple of other dramas (Meteor Garden, Mars) and she did a great job in all of these. I think this drama was her first time acting as a wealthy girl, unlike her dirt poor character in Meteor Garden and lower class character in Mars, and she really played the part well, with all the little mannerisms that you’d think of rich people. Alan Luo was really good as Qin Lang, though starting out, it was a little shaky. He was a little annoying at first but later on, became a lot more likeable and somewhat charming. The two have really nice chemistry, though, and ultimately that’s the most important thing in a romance drama.

I’m kind of picky about watching Taiwanese dramas because they’re so much longer than Japanese dramas and you have to invest so much time into it that if it doesn’t sound promising, then I won’t bother. I guess that’s why I usually like all the Twdramas I watched and less of the Jdramas. There seems to be rumor of a sequel to Corner with Love and I hope it’s true because even though the loose ends were mostly tied up, the ending could have been a lot better. If there is a second season, I’m watching!

Buy the boxset: Taiwan Version