Contrato de Amor (2004)

I just finished watching this near midnight and I don't want to put away writing this until the morning. What I'm feeling now demands to be written down.

I don't think I've watched any drama until now that felt so absolutely pointless at the end of it. That doesn't mean that everything was great until the end though.

First of all, it was real slow. Throughout most of the episodes, there isn't anything much happening than characters wallowing in emotions or doing what they do without any background score.
There was no getting used to it, you just had to bear with it. Mostly you bore with it because, while the screenplay inched along and something finally happened, the actors emoted well and those scenes were good.

Also, I can say with certainty, if it were not for my liking both Mike He and Ariel Lin, I wouldn't have made it even halfway through.

And, Then there is the ending..
After you sit through it all, the way they choose to end it is nothing but absurd. I didn't fully watch the last two episodes. There was no point to continuing with the torturous-ly slow process when the only reasons for watching the show took a beating.

That's all I can put into words now. The only reason any one can have of watching this,in my opinion, is if they like the lead actors, because it's a tough ride even then.

Leia Mais

I started this drama with the expectation of a fun drama. If that is your reason for watching, don't bother. While I watched all episodes, it was more for seeing Mike He's beautiful self. When he wasn't on the screen, I was playing solitaire on my phone.

I half suspect that the writers have serious issues, as the drama was extremely slow until the end, when suddenly everything exploded and left you dumbfounded. I had to watch the end a second time just to make sure that I didn't miss something, the change was so drastic.

If you are thinking about watching this, it may be more entertaining to watch grass grow... it will certainly by more comprehensible.

Leia Mais

Not a typical teen romance, inasmuch that it takes itself quite seriously - as someone else has said. It's quite a mature story and the writing is really intelligent. At first it seemed like it would be a retelling of The Taming of the Shrew, but it quickly developed into it's own story - although still remaining quite Shakespearean. Although others here have mentioned that it's really slow and dull, I honestly didn't find that. Whilst I felt the two lead characters were a little flat (Mike He the better of the two), the supporting cast were quite gripping and there was enough going on to keep me invested - even if the show wasn't great at tying up loose ends for subplots.

Under the surface, it discusses quite a few deeper themes that don't get explored so often. Gender and misogyny in particular are issues that are really probed into by the show's subtext, and it makes for quite thought provoking viewing. Whilst it would be a stretch to call it 'feminist', it's quite blunt in tarring men with a bad brush from the first episode to the last.

It also lapses into surrealism a little bit, which is really unique. Whilst other shows have dream sequences, flash backs etc, this show tackles them in quite a different way and they can be very strange at times, which definitely kept me watching.

Again, I didn't find it slow - to the contrary I found it pretty well paced. Everyone developed at a reasonable rate and enough time was devoted to everyone to see some good character progression from both the main and supporting cast. It also wasn't too predictable and when you thought you had the show figured out, there still managed to be some shocking twists and turns. Everyone here seems to be complaining about the ending, but I loved it - very intelligent end if you pay attention to it.

Acting was a mixed bag, but reasonably solid - Mike He and Ariel Lin as I mentioned had their bad moments. Music I can't say I enjoyed too much and the editing was also quite shoddy at times - especially at the end. A few good songs though and they were used well at times.

Not particularly keen to rewatch it anytime soon though - maybe because it's a bit darker and more mature than the average romance shows I watch.

Overall though, I was really impressed by this show. The intelligence of the writing and the solid story structure were great, whilst the show in general just felt really well fleshed out. I wasn't as invested in it as I could have been, which is unfortunate, but I still feel this is a very underrated show and definitely one of the best I've seen.

Leia Mais

I absolutely love this drama

It broke my heart several times. I connected with it and found the relationships between the characters to be perfect for showing how everyone has their walls and boundaries. The things they keep hidden and the sides they want to show. I watched this years ago, loved the soundtrack and still listen to it today. I absolutely love the actors and their work in this show and if I could find a copy of the drama to buy I would own it!

A lot of people complain about how shows end and not being how they expect it to or want it to. I always enjoy a show for what it is and understand that this is how the producers wanted it to turn out. The ending to me was fun and light in comparison to some of the more serious aspects that went on during the show.

Overall, give it a try. I find it to be a wonderful gem in the taiwanese drama market. If you take into consideration that a lot of shows that make it to international audiences bank of the comedy aspect, this has so of that too.

Please enjoy!!

Leia Mais

NOT RECOMMENDED

Worst Taiwanese drama I have ever seen. It’s so boring. I only watched this because of Mike He. The storyline is not that interesting at all and it’s too pointless my gosh!!! Also the music that was used to this drama is also boring to death. The drama is super slow that it will bore you to death. There isn’t anything much happening to the characters. The chemistry of Ariel Lin and Mike He is awful, I cannot even stand it. I do not recommend this drama at all. But watch it at your own risk. I just wasted my time on this. I keep on pushing fast forward button while watching, but got tired half way through.

Leia Mais