Acting/Cast: No complains about the acting. Everyone in this drama are experienced actors and actresses. A pity that the storyline flopped half way through.
Music: Literally the saving grace of this drama. I absolutely looooove the OSTs, especially Olivia Ong's "Unchangeable". Looking forward to her new album with the OST in it!!
Rewatch value: Not worth rewatching. Seriously.
Overall: Watch if you ran out of drama to watch but do not expect much despite the great start to the drama. Lots of nice memorable scenes in the drama with the wonderful OSTs playing BUT that's just all it is - great looks, OSTs, classic romantic scenes (eg: kissing in the rain, unveiling of the bride etc). The drama simply lacked substance from the storyline point of view. Absolute disappointment... but at least, we leave with a great set of OSTs.
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The plot veered off tracks slightly past the halfway point. There's a decided shift in direction so noticeable that I'd thought the writers had changed hands. In truth, apparently internal politics at SETTV coupled with need to meet public demand caused this; either way it seems the writers clearly bit off a little more than they could chew. Character motivations became muddy; one promoted character totally vanished. Plot lines disappeared partway, then reappeared only to be wrapped up unsatisfactorily. Those that were necessary were often shuffled along in favor of trying to fix the problem of choosing the OTP, but even this was somewhat rushed.
What makes this unfortunate is that the main cast is so lovable. Nikki Hsieh has fine chemistry with everyone else in the drama, believably interacting with any character according to their intended relationship. She also does a great job in her dual role, because there are even speech differences between Da Hua and Liang Yan. James Wen is a personal favorite, but he was calling in all of his talent to keep his character from imploding. His Lin Guan Jun was handled poorly by the writers and his actions often made little sense in the final episodes. Wen has a natural charm about him though, so the eye is always drawn to him regardless.
Chris Wu is the favorite for most viewers, because he's such a talent; Terry could have reasonably been as interesting as cardboard. Instead, he's gorgeous, magnetic, compelling, and sympathetic; it's easy to see why he won the hearts of viewers so easily...and he's likely the primary reason many kept tuning in. I can't blame them.
My personal favorite part of Substitute Princess is the music. This is one of the OSTs I will be importing once it's available. Both the intro and outro suit the show unbelievably well, from the tone to lyrics. Each insert song is memorable and used effectively also. A special mention has to go to James Wen, who sang Guan Jun's love theme "Why Bother." Once when it played it got me teary-eyed due to its effective usage; it's such a beautiful song and his voice is quite pleasant.
Sadly, I can't think of any reason to re-watch this drama once you've completed it--unless you want to relive the experience that is Terry. I probably won't be coming back to it any time soon.
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I struggle to call this a bad drama, but I really felt it lacked somethings. I never felt like we got a good enough ending for any of the characters.
The opening credits plus the song made you feel like there two girls always stopping the romance of the two main guys with the girl, although that never really happen especially on Terry's side But, that is just a minor pet peeve.
Anyway, on to the real problems. Except for one song the opening one I don't really remember any music from this drama, which in general means that the songs weren't that great.
The story was well built but I don't think it lived up to what it could have been. I mean I almost did not watch the ending, because it got to the point I really did not care a whole lot anymore.
There was too much drama in this drama and that sounds weird to say but it is not because there was a lot but that a lot of it ended up being a plot hole or something we never dealt with again. If they had instead dealt with a little less in this storyline they would have made it out of this story with a better ending and more people would have enjoyed it.
I would still watch most of this drama again but that is mostly because of the scenes with Terry. Terry was the best character in this story and he had really awesome moments that I would love to watch again.
This drama is pretty good, but, you may really dislike the ending.
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Anywho, onto the actual drama.
The Story: It had a good plot. It captured my attention immediately, and for most of the drama it goes through the plot really well. I just feel that they sort of cut the main plot point off a little soon, and were struggling for things to fill the rest of the episodes with, so the ending bit sort of dragged on a bit, but it wasn't really all that bad. It was quite a fun drama, and there were quite a few twists that were honestly really unexpected for me. That does NOT happen very often.
The Cast: OH MY GOODNESS. I had never heard of Chris Wu [who plays Terry] before now, and damn I have no idea why. That man is a fabulous crier. Seriously. And anybody is able to melt into a puddle at his loving looks. He, for me, was the best part in this drama, although there were few bad actors. The lead female was a bit boring, but she had character. I actually really enjoyed Xiao Fei's character... If I were to highlight one bad casting choice, it would be Liang Yan's father. He... wasn't great. But honestly, besides him, everybody fulfilled their parts to my satisfaction.
The Music: Wonderful. The OST was really, really great in my opinion. The lyrics and mood of the music always fit the situation, and there was a good theme to them. One of the best parts of this drama.
Rewatch Value: I'd watch it again, but not any time soon.
So yes, overall, I'd say that it's definitely worth watching. At times it is a bit frustrating, and you definitely see some complaints about the ending, but I personally loved the ending.
I recommend this. :)
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The following review is an EVERYTHING Honest Review, sarcasm up ahead!From the network that brought you Fated to Love You( Trust me they mention Ethan in this drama)comes King Flower.
Meet Jin Da Hua the ugliest girl in Tawain because of a mole(?) and the inability to close her mouth. Meet Terry a rich nice guy with a beautiful fiance named Liang Yan. When Terry wants to go mountain climbing Liang Yan wants to join with this unrealistic expectation that if she stumbles he would be able to catch her purely through their love and not you know physical strength. So when she "unexpectedly" falls and Terry is unable to catch her she is sent to the hospital with injuries that should recover in a year. Terry looks for a subsitute for Liang Yan and somehow stumbles on Jin Da Hua who is able to look like her and be ugly at the same time. Terry offers her 2 million dollars if she gets plastic surgery to look like someone else which she needs for her father's debt who conicidently is 2 million. Wow this show has a lot of plot conviences in the first few episodes. This must be a record. But sadly Liang Lan dies because her siutation was worst than what the Doctor told Terry.
But Terry is not the only hearthrob that falls for Jin Da Hua hehe spoiler alert. Her childhood friend Guan Jun does as well.
A Taiwanese drama with no bitchy drama as the two second female leads do NOTHING to sabotage her relationship with Terry or Guan Jun. One even helps her!Yet despite the lack of second female leads this show still has the annoying subplots. A show that people claim is hard to tell who she'll end up with, but if you pay closely attention to the drama it drops subtle hints who she will chose in the end.
Yes Jin Da Hua must chose between a sweet, charismatic, rich guy who only falls for her because she looks pretty and a sweet, selfless friend who realizes he loves her AFTER she gets plastic surgery. So the concept of the show is that a NICE guy will fall for you if you're PRETTY. Because she had a good heart before the surgery and honestly with a little makeup would have looked decent. This is the message of the show. That is really f#@!%d up.
Starring... Mouth Breather(Jin Da Hua)
Rich Chris(Terry)
Indecisive Bastard (Guan Jun)
Worst Doctor Ever (Qin Mo)
That Girl from Tiamo Chocolate! (A Xi)
That Guy From Tiamo Chocolate (Jin Da Li)
King Flower...it's good if you have nothing to watch.
Cliche Counter:
*Main Male Lead is nice
*Second male lead tries to give main girl lead to main male lead
*male lead is rich
*male lead is poor
*main girl lead is poor
*main girl lead has a nice heart
*second female lead is rich
*second female lead dresses more girly
*second female lead's daughter is involved with illegal activity
*main girl lead has a horrible father
Total count: 10
Missed a cliche? Inbox me at dramafreak0007! Hoped you like this review.
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For the most part Wu Chris carries this drama and kinda is the only reason you'd put yourself through this given the follow up of the cast is just sort of bland plot filler. I can't say as the viewer there are any memorable scenes for me and the music is just sort of there in the background. I did find it hard to forgive the overly blatant product placement in like every episode and thought if they spent more time on the plot line and less time on the flashbacks and advertising of brands in scenes this might* not have failed so bad in my book. I think my quote for this drama is "Who the heck cause about your facial scrubber!"
I give this drama a 4 and wouldn't rewatch any of it. Well maybe Wu Chris smiling scenes but thats about it.
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Story | An ugly duckling turned Cinderella, poor girl turns rich type plot with a pretty big twist. Honestly the plot sounded extremely interesting to me, very unrealistic but I love that about dramas. Thinking about it now, it's a hard plot to follow through perfectly until the end. Which could explain a lot.
Cast | I'm very hit or miss about the cast. In my opinion the only reason I was able to finish this drama was because of Chris Wu. I liked the other cast members, but there was something very lacking as the episodes started to go on and I only looked forward to any scene with Chris's character. Hsieh Nikki's acting wasn't bad though, her chemistry with Chris Wu was actually enjoyable to watch. Maybe it's just because I don't like how her character progressed throughout the drama. I'm not really 100% sure. I try not to tie a person's acting with how a writer writes a character but it's hard not to sometimes. Side characters were ok, less satisfying than what I'm normally used to.
Music | Probably the thing I liked the most after Chris Wu's acting. I really enjoyed the intro and ending theme! There was also an instrumental song that was used throughout the drama that I really loved (if anyone knows the title, please tell me!)
Overall | This drama kind of just faded towards the end. There were a lot of things left open and a lot of unnecessary new things added towards the end of the drama. Things that seemed like a crisis in a few episodes were eventually forgotten about without proper closure. Characters that I thought were going to play a bigger role disappeared too. There was so much potential with this drama and I am sadly disappointed. It's highly unlikely I'll ever rewatch this drama.
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I found Terry's character really cute and funny. He's a good leader, rich and sweet. He's helpful and kind and that's the type of person that every girl wants and needs. I couldn't help but scream and squeal every time I saw Jin Da Hua with him and when him and Da Hua had their moments.
However, Lin Guan Jun is also cute and funny. I hated the fact that Da Hua liked him and he never liked her that way. But when he fell for her, I couldn't help but ship the couple. I hate the way Hao Zhao Fei (whatever her name is) clings onto him and calls him her boyfriend.
In the last episode I watched, which is 17, at the end Lin Guan Jun says something really stupid. I don't want to write it out so you have to watch the episode for that, but he really hurt Da Hua's feelings and crossed the limits. I think Da Hua deserves a guy like Terry (Ouyang Tai) as he cares for her and wouldn't leave her for anything and anyone.
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What will end up happening does Terry think of her as Jin Da Hua or Du Liang Yan his fiance what will happen in this love triangle.
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keeps me entertained!
I came to this after scrolling through a lot of boring & cliche dramas... Well, not the reputed ones - because i must've seen them all by now! So, i just stumbled on this, and here i am - totally ENCHANTED by the dynamics and actors!It surely is far from perfect, but at least it's something new, i mean - crazy new. And the plot & characters are so engaging! Even though i can clearly see the weak spots of this drama, i will continue watching it for now!! The comments i read so far dont do it justice, since you dont have to be so strict on this romcom combined with melodrama!
If i were to have an objection? Here it comes: The two women are way too similar, not only in looks, but character too! It also becomes creepy for the ML... Shouldnt the second FL have something to her own, besides being uneducated?? SMH
Side note: i confess i watched it on fast forward way too often, but - if you have time - all small talk is really nice. It's just that i hardly ever enjoy slow pace dramas... My bad : (
I dont know abt rewatch, but for now it's so smooth on the eyes!
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I tried so hard to make it to at least to one particular scene in this drama (I'm sure no one is surprised by this, but it was the scene where Terry is shirtless and Da Hua accidentally walks in on him in the bathroom).I never got there.
This drama didn't know who it's OTP was, and it suffered severely for it. Terry always felt like the clear choice considering how much time he and Da Hua spent together and how Deep he fell for her, but the story could never fully commit to that choice, and I was left looking for a reason to root for them. I needed there to be a reason for Terry and Da Hua to have to be around each other, for them to get to know each other as people, for them to fall for each other, and what I got was the opposite of what I needed.
And I fully place the blame on Da Hua as a character.
Da Hua had no underlying motivation for any of the choices she made. She actively put herself in situations where she was going to be uncomfortable. She actively put herself in situations that Guan Jun was bound to misunderstand and then tried to smooth it all over each and every time. She chose to bail Terry out of the mess he had gotten himself into by lying and creating the contract to begin with. And her determination to finish the ‘contract’ was So. Annoying. It Hurt. Terry was still going to have to tell everyone that Liang Yian was dead thus making the contract pointless and void. She actively did the opposite of what would have been logical in every situation she was presented with.
And before anyone tells me I’m an idiot who clearly didn’t understand the real reason why Da Hua wanted to finish the contract, let me stop you right there.
I know what the drama writers were trying to do. They were trying to trick me into believing that Da Hua wanted to finish the contract because she was falling in love with Terry.
Falling in love with Terry my derrierriere (that is a spelling Choice, not a mistake). While he was clearly starting to have feelings for her, there was no indication from her that she had any interest in him At All. There were no tender glances or accidental touches, no inner monologues about how kind or smart or handsome he was, no lingering in his presence or just generally wanting to be around him all the time. Every time Terry attempted to make a move, Da Hua would practically Fly out of the room, she was so intensely uncomfortable with his attraction to her.
She did not like him.
Which was stupid, because…there was a lot to like.
I mean, he was an idiot who agreed to pretend his fiancé wasn’t dead and subsequently dragged someone else into that mess, but he was still an utterly lovely person.
And could we not have gotten some actual exposition on this whole idea of real love verses being enamored with someone’s physical appearance?
I have no problem believing that Terry was actually falling in love with Da Hua as a person and not because she looked like his dead fiancé. And I have no problem believing Guan Jun was also falling in love with her as a person and not because she was suddenly ‘beautiful.’ I think both actors did a good job of making their feelings for her seem believable.
I Do have a problem with there being zero exploration into what it means to be in love with someone verses what it means to be in love with your idea of someone, considering that was one of the major messages of the drama. There were very valid reasons for our lead to question the motives of these two men, and for us, the audience, to do so as well. But the writers never even touched on those reasons accept to mention them in passing. How am I supposed to pick one of them over the other if I don’t actually know if either of them are truly in love with her?
For my part, I did want her with Terry. If only because of how amazingly good the actor was at giving tender, gentle looks in her direction, and because he was a hottie Mchottieson, and because he was just so incredibly nice. (Makes terrible life choices, but he's still very nice.)
But the drama was too frustrating to finish, and I honestly probably could have substituted it with another drama and been much happier.
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