anicheung
Like most TVB series, the first few episodes are typically winners, and so even though I thought the first episode deserved an outstanding score, I give it a simple "Very Good" as a probational warning. TVB brews up some good series every so often, and I believe that if the writers stick to the standard Hong Kong formula instead of trying imitate other trendy obsessions (K-drama or American series) then they can turn out some pretty awesome story lines. I have hopes that Tiger Cubs can remain in a good direction even if we've already developed the typical cliched fore-running character types.
Him Law is already on my warning list because his character is based on my most despised character type: the hot-headed newbie who thinks he's a superstar big-shot just because he's probably done a few rewarding things since the beginning of his career. The standard development would be seeing him drilled into tamed complacency and become a "team-player", no doubt, by the strict, stone-faced expert team leader, played by Joe Ma. Coming to Joe Ma, his character is once again carbon-copy stock for his typical roles: the cool, level-headed, stick-in-the-mud SDU team leader who's life is currently perfect until he hits a nice big expositional bump in his relationship and his career; and thus, things will spiral out of control from there.
Add into the mix, a woman officer with a dark past (as dark as having your innocent fiance blown up in some criminal activity outside of anyone's control but the perpetrator's); Jessica Hsuan sports the detective team leader who seems weary of life, and simply goes through her daily work adamant about catching all the criminals. I'm hoping to see more of Jessica because she's an excellent actress, but her character doesn't seem to be standing out very well in this first episode. We'll give it time since she hasn't been on the drama forefront much lately.
Overall, this was a good first episode for Tiger Cubs, full of action, intensity, with a quick sneak peak into the human dynamics and personal vendettas and relationships of each of our main characters. At an hour and 30 minutes, this is longer than what I'm used to for a TVB series episode, however at 13 episodes, this is typically shorter than most TVB series. Maybe a change of format will welcome some new insights as well and we'll be well on our way to a good direction for Tiger Cubs.
On a side note, Kenneth Ma made an excellent cameo appearance as the first case's crime villain. Given the right roles and the right directing, this guy can settle into character really well without those flat line bumps that he sometimes gets in his acting at certain moments during a story.
So here's given a good score for the first impression of this series, but also hoping that the general direction doesn't get over-looked for more ratings grabbing cliched twists.
Him Law is already on my warning list because his character is based on my most despised character type: the hot-headed newbie who thinks he's a superstar big-shot just because he's probably done a few rewarding things since the beginning of his career. The standard development would be seeing him drilled into tamed complacency and become a "team-player", no doubt, by the strict, stone-faced expert team leader, played by Joe Ma. Coming to Joe Ma, his character is once again carbon-copy stock for his typical roles: the cool, level-headed, stick-in-the-mud SDU team leader who's life is currently perfect until he hits a nice big expositional bump in his relationship and his career; and thus, things will spiral out of control from there.
Add into the mix, a woman officer with a dark past (as dark as having your innocent fiance blown up in some criminal activity outside of anyone's control but the perpetrator's); Jessica Hsuan sports the detective team leader who seems weary of life, and simply goes through her daily work adamant about catching all the criminals. I'm hoping to see more of Jessica because she's an excellent actress, but her character doesn't seem to be standing out very well in this first episode. We'll give it time since she hasn't been on the drama forefront much lately.
Overall, this was a good first episode for Tiger Cubs, full of action, intensity, with a quick sneak peak into the human dynamics and personal vendettas and relationships of each of our main characters. At an hour and 30 minutes, this is longer than what I'm used to for a TVB series episode, however at 13 episodes, this is typically shorter than most TVB series. Maybe a change of format will welcome some new insights as well and we'll be well on our way to a good direction for Tiger Cubs.
On a side note, Kenneth Ma made an excellent cameo appearance as the first case's crime villain. Given the right roles and the right directing, this guy can settle into character really well without those flat line bumps that he sometimes gets in his acting at certain moments during a story.
So here's given a good score for the first impression of this series, but also hoping that the general direction doesn't get over-looked for more ratings grabbing cliched twists.
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Professional Single Episode 24
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I'm kind of in the minority here, but I didn't much care for this series and thought that Aaron Deng was stiff as a board with his acting. I also had a bit of issue with how brusque and rough Qin Shen acted towards Yuan Qian all the time. And that whole jealous boyfriend act was probably intended to be cute and comedic, but it actually made me annoyed and uncomfortable. Instead of seeming like a protective boyfriend, Qin Shen came off a bit controlling--it bothered me that Yuan Qian and her roommate friends seemed okay with it just because Qin Shen is good looking, and because Yuan Qian likes him. I feel like it gives out a bad message that it's okay to let your boyfriend push and pull you around, and be forceful with you, as well as dictate who you're allowed to be friends with, when in reality, it's a big red flag.On the flip side, I also got annoyed with Yuan Qian's overreaction to wanting to keep her relationship with Qin Shen a secret when they first started dating. It was highly unnecessary, and unfair to Qin Shen.I DO give props to the guy who portrayed Song Si Yi--he was really natural and likable. There were moments when the character got annoying, but it was hard to completely hate him. I'm also extremely happy that he pretty much backed off of Yuan Qian peacefully when he finds out that she and Qin Shen are a couple.Overall, this romance was awkward and all sorts of uncomfortable for me. I kind of liked them more in their pre-dating phase when they were first realizing they liked each other. Those moments were super cute.I watched this series because of Song Yi Ren, whom I started loving ever since I saw her performance in 'Ever Night.' And if I want to be honest, while her character was overly childish in 'The Best of You in My Mind,' I felt like that series had an overall better tone, better acting, and better love story. Gala Zhang is definitely a much better actor than Aaron Deng.This was a rather predictable, feel good, college campus love story that had it's cute and sweet moments. For starters, I absolutely loved both Yuan Qian and Qin Shen's roommates. They made this series a lot more fun. And while I didn't care for the main romance nor the main couple, I still felt like Song Yi Ren held her own pretty well.On a final note, I DO wish we could have delved a bit deeper into Qin Shen's past with Ling Wei and Jia Si Chen so we could understand why Qin Shen was always so cold to Ling Wei. There were hints that she had done some unforgivable stuff, but aside from being persistent in her crush and pursuit of him, I didn't quite understand the backstory. There was a short bit where it sounded like Ling Wei used Qin Shen's friends to obtain what she wanted? I'm not sure. I would have also liked to see more about the story behind the parents and maybe some resolution about their objections to Yuan Qian and Qin Shen's chosen college paths.
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