This drama is about trauma and a lot of it.
This drama had me hooked from the very first episode. I loved the leads in the first episode and I understood the FL.The FL had very low expectations of men in general after all her traumatic experiences. It was obvious what she went through after just watching her reaction to people, especially men in general and it's surprising that no one else clocked why she became the way she was. It was so surprising how defensive the ML was of the FL after seeing her the second time and how quickly he clocked what was going on. I loved how defensive he was of her, despite being the playboy and womaniser (who didn't really respect woman) he was introduced as, he was the nicest and sweetest person ever to the FL. He was a good guy in general who just liked to play dumb.
I also loved the FL. Started this drama for Barbie Hsu after watching her on Summer's Desire and I loved her character here. Though she was younger, her acting was still really good here. You could really see the FL's trauma through her eyes.
My favourite thing about this drama was all the friendships. The second leads, as any typical second leads, were in love with the main leads at the beginning. The SML was the ML's best friend and the SFL was someone the ML would sometimes hook up with. The SFL, despite first bullying the FL because of her relationship with the ML, she almost immediately became best friends with the FL. No one shipped the main leads together more than the second leads, and that, I think, is the best type of second lead.
The main leads relationship also remained consistent. There was no break up (not one I considered to be a real one at least). And they always stuck by each other through all their drama. Nothing could stop them being together, not even family. I was surprised by how there was no family drama breaking up the main leads.
(Sort of a spoiler) What I found really sad and kinda funny was the fact that the FL's personality is exactly like that of what people perceived the ML's late twin brother to be like. They even shared the same lines. It was as if the ML loved his brother so much he ended up with a girl that was exactly like him.
This show is mainly about trauma and a lot of misunderstandings at least in the ML's part. Had there not been any misunderstandings of the ML's past, he wouldn't have had any of the trauma he had in the present and I don't think his brother would have done what he did.
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This series was able to tackle mental health, suicide, sexual harassment and bullying in a serious way.
It also tells how someone suffering from these issues can redeem and love themselves even if the world is against them.
Also, the male lead is so protective of the female lead but no stalking is involved (where it is very common on current dramas). He will run as fast as he can to protect her and you will definitely feel his love for her.
It's a must watch if you are looking for such genre on a drama.
There is no HD copy of this since this is way back 2004.
OST and background music are all great.
P.S Barbie Hsu and Vic Zhou were real-life couple during this series.
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Yamilette Valenzuela
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Lo adoro
Existen pocos doramas a los que les doy una opinión ,pero este lo vale totalmente , amo esta obra .Toca tantos aspectos trágicos de la vida en pocos capítulos ,me parece increíble que no sea mas popular de lo que ya es .Las actuaciones me encantaron ,no hay algo malo que le vea al drama , en general una obra de arte .Ah y el final me tenia de nervios, en serio hicieron un excelente trabajo captando la atención de esa forma . Es muy curioso porque antes de este papel a mi no me gustaba para nada Barbie o bueno no le había dado una oportunidad pues siempre oía hablar de el dorama mas comercial que tiene ,llegue escéptica y me fui enamorada de ella . Y que decir del papel de Vic ,cuando no puede aceptar que ella viva con el asqueroso hombre y trata de ir con la chica al motel y no puede llegar a nada ,WOW! con esa escena y el sentimiento que me transmitió , fue la primera vez que me enoje peor entendía la acción de despecho . Ya no quiero seguir espoileando tanto pero realmente valió cada maldito segundo de mi tiempo .Considerați utilă această recenzie?
Wow, so many plot twists... There is such an emotional and psychological depth to this drama... The writing is fantastic and I didn't find myself skipping scenes like I usually do... MARS is definitely a mature drama that will take you on an emotional rollercoaster.. Although it is heavy, there are many cute, funny scenes to lighten to mood, too. The ending is complete and there are no loose ends!
Acting/Cast 10/10
All of the actors were amazing, but Barbie and Vic especially stood out to me. First, their relationship is so believable. They have such great chemistry together. Coming from someone who normally watches Kdrama, it was so refreshing to see the main couple so comfortable together (even showing affection for one another in a non-awkward way, lol). Vic is especially amazed me... I don't want to give away any plot points, so I won't say more! :)
Music 10/10
WOW! I usually never pay attention to music of a drama... but this drama's music is absolutely breathtaking. Especially Ling (Zero)... I liked it so much I'm learning to play it on my guitar and piano... Look up the english translations to the songs, because they have such meaning and add depth to the story!
Rewatch Value 6/10
Ok, I never really rewatch dramas... So this is just a personal opinion... I know a LOT of people have rewatched this drama, so maybe you'll want to watch it again... Because it IS one of THE best dramas I've watched.
Overall 10/10
Please watch this drama; I promise you won't regret it!
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gloomy and unrealistic
Given the fact we have a handsome playboy and motorcycle races and all, one could expect this drama to burst with positive energy. Instead, we get all the gloomy things in the world of drama and not even one ray of humour: suicide, trauma, abuse, violence, bullying, attempted murder, mental illness, psychotic behavior...The "deceptive appearance" trope is at its glory, to the point it becomes redundant: the bad boy is kind but misunderstood, the bullies are people of character, the nice teacher is a predator and criminal, so are the parents, the top student is a fraud etc.
It mainly relies on emotions and popular actors.
Dropping for the time being. Not enjoyable on my summer break.
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I liked it, but it doesn\'\'t come even close to what the mange is for me, I think Koreans would make the drama better (my personal, subjective opinion). Though I likes the guy playing Ray, I didn\'\'t like Barbie\'\'s performance, she wasn\'\'t quite Kira...
Maybe if you like the mange very-very much, you expect the drama to be everything you expected, and if smthg is not...you get disappointed easily.
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Taiwanese Hansel and Gretel
...with the only difference that they are a couple, not siblings. All the rest is according to the mythos: they both are the abandoned kids who get attracted to each other for a very solid reason (rare in love dramas and adding value to this one) - their trauma patterns perfectly match. They literally smell each other's PTSDs and the whole drama is the process of mutual healing through the relationship. And it's worth a watch for this reason only. This is basically a great story. No silly funny scenes, so peculiar to other romantic shows. No fillers. However, a lot a things were overexplained which is quite annoying. The viewers are not stupid. They can understand the underlying dynamics. A nice description of psychopathological processes. I love the stories that can serve as demonstrations for med students. This is the case. Some of the things didn't overcome my cultural barrier though and this leaves a filthy aftertaste. Like, I can understand that some mothers betray their daughters for the sake of their own survival (or this is how the mothers explain it), but I cannot at all comprehend why the school violence and harrassment wasn't reported. If it was, however, the story would be quite different. And, nevertheless, I don't get it how someone who threatened to break your bones could eventually become your best friend. A misterious local culture with weird interpretations of shame and dignity. This blocked me from smooth rolling through the show.One of the reasons I picked this show was to give Vic Chou a second chance after his, let's call it, "strange" acting in The Flame's Daughter. As I'd read the reviews I understood this was his best drama ever. So, he could not have possibly failed. BUT he did! Even though he was in his best shape and he fit this drama organically, and a few more descriptions like "gorgeous", "sexy", "terrific", "so damn good", "one of the best looking guys in that part of the world", etc., as soon as he opened his mouth the whole charm was gone. He was good in some of the scenes, but it felt cringey in the most. All the rest of the cast were great.
I recommend it for those, who are picky about love stories and require solid psychological assumptions behind the characters. It's all here.
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