Under the Canopy of Love

I finished Under the Canopy of Love today at work, 10 episodes a day. When I watched it a couple of years ago, I didn't rate series as carefully as I do now. I have somewhat of a rubric, Cast (includes acting), Characters, Story, and Ending, to say the least. Sometimes there will be additional areas that are specific to the series.

Cast/Characters - 4/5

Kevin Cheng --- Alan

Niki Chow ------ Si

Bosco Wong ---- Nick

The cast is very very similar to The Seventh Day. Kevin, Niki, Bosco, and even Natalie are on my preferred list of actors and actresses. Much like the Seventh Day, Bosco and Kevin have opposite characteristics and their roles are somewhat reversed. Initially, Kevin (like Bosco initially in the Seventh Day) valued fortune and power as important as Si. He believed in connections and wanted to become wealthy. Bosco is an ambition-less, loyal friend and lover who is happy with whatever he has. Niki in UTCOL is pretty close to The Seventh Day. She is innocent and unlike her older sister doesn't value wealth when choosing her boyfriend. After seeing the perfect chemistry between Kevin and Niki in the Seventh Day, the chemistry here is still strong but inferior to the Seventh Day. The way the actors/actresses behave around one another is stiffer and more restricted.

Story - 4/5

The story is romantic but rather simple and lacks an on going development between the characters. The story is less focused than the Seventh Day because there is a quartet relationship between Karen, Alan, Nick, and Si. In addition, there are the relationships of Si's sisters with Martin and that rich photographer. It really depends what you are after, UTCOL provides a variety of love stories while The Seventh Day explores two extreme relationships in depth from beginning, middle to end. We are able to see the changes that occur within for each other in the Seventh Day. I prefer depth a little more, but that is just a personal preference. Having said that, New Breath of Love was more successful than UTCOL, satisfying both worlds because the story includes four relationships but still emphasizes Tsui Hoi (Raymond) and Jing Wei (Tammy)'s relationship.

Ending - 4/5

The ending was a happy one, and like New Breath of Love, it was suspenseful up until the last minute. When it ended, it left me wanting more, a feeling that isn't always good because it feels like the story hasn't ended yet though the movie has, or the movie has ended in a rush. The ending of the Seventh Day was predictable and inevitable but still the script writers threw in a couple nice finishing touches and brought the story to a COMPLETE end. Another pet-peeve that I have is Si's decision to accept Nick's adoration even though she knew that she did not love him. Sure at first she thought that Alan chose Karen and she felt sorry for rejecting him but after realizing that she did not have that same feeling as she did with Alan, she should have told him that it be best they remain as friends. Si was really using Nick to try to forget Alan, as a lifeboat. Over time, Nick's affection towards Si increased until he could not live without her which led to the events leading up to the ending.

Overall - 4/5