My Lucky Star - 放羊的星星

I began this series on Friday May 22, 2009 and finished it today...6 days. Though this series was only 20 episodes long, each episode was about 75 minutes (compared to 45 minute TVB series). Therefore it its the equivalent of a 30 episode series and given there were a few interruptions (Brother's B-day party on Saturday, Doors Open Winnipeg all day Sunday, and X-Men Wolverine) there was some late night viewing :) I really picked up on this series on Monday after the busy weekend. Now to rate it...

***WARNING SPOILERS***

The Story - 4.25/5

There is something different between Hong Kong TVB series and Taiwanese Series. This is my fifth Taiwanese Series and all have been romantic while 3 seem to be more on the goofy romantic side. I don't think there is anything wrong with such dramas and they nicely contrast the TVB series. I have got to hand it to Taiwanese series scriptwriters, they write some touching stories. Anyways, the storyline of My Lucky Star was very good. I think it strongly resembles Love of the Aegean Sea and somewhat When A Prince Turns into Frog.

The Similarities

• There is a really rich powerful family that despises the poorer, but a rich son and a poor girl fall in love. The family has a better 'choice' for the son.
• Obviously the two fall deeply in love but halfway though something happens and they split but in the end he manages to convince others that she is the one.
• After they split, he becomes a heartless soul and some other man steps in to pull the girl through.
  

The Differences

• Ah Xing (夏之星) is an ex-convict who teaches Tian Qi (仲天騏) the true meaning behind jewelery with her $10 plastic stars. I really liked the way they changed for each other. Tian Qi grants Ah Xing's every wish while Ah Xing promised never to lie again and always stand beside Tian Qi whenever he needs her. It was touching when Ah Xing stood up for Tian Qi in front of his father at the dinner table.
  
• There is true love between Ah Xing and Tian Qi from the start. Tian Qi is willing to give up everything to stay by Ah Xing. Tian Qi's father does not use suicidal threats or his health as a lame excuse, instead he allows Tian Qi to leave but makes him experience hardships so that he will grow up. Ah Xing only leaves Tian Qi when she has absolutely no choice, she sacrificed her feelings for the health of Ni Ni and to save Tian Qi who was injured because of her. Ammesia (unlikely) and suicidal threats (cheap) were used in the other break them up in the other two series.
• Despite breaking up with Ah Xing and mistakingly hating her, Tian Qi never dates another woman Ya Ruo and Ah Xing does not date Zhi Yin either. They remain loyal to each other.
  
• The main objecter, Tian Qi's father passes away and never formally admits his mistake. I thought perhaps this was a weaker point in the story. I think he should like to admit Ah Xing as his step-daughter and Zhi Yin as his son. This drawback will count towards the ending but is fitting for a comparison.
  

Overall, I found the length of this story fairly appropriate but quite cliche as this is the third series with a rich/poor love story in just my five Taiwanese series. Though it lacks a bit of originality, there was a climax in every episode. Because it was more realistic than the other two series, I think I would give the story a 4.25/5. If I haven't seen the other two similar dramas I think I would have given it 4.5/5.

The Cast and Relationships - 4.25/5

• Jimmy Lin as Zhong Tian Qi 仲天騏
• Yoo Ha Na as Xia Zhi Xing 夏之星
• Hong Xiao Ling as Ou Ya Ruo 歐雅若
• Leon Jay Williams as Zhong Tian Jun 仲天駿
• Lee Wei as Han Zhi Yin 韓志胤

Not only was Jimmy Lin new to me, but the entire cast was new to me. Yoo Ha Na is a Korean actress that can speak Mandarin. In interviews, such as the behind the scene clips, she spoke Mandarin in front of the camera. However, I think her voice was dubbed in the series. The vocals didn't always match her mouth and her voice in the interviews was deeper than in the series. Though this was Yoo Ha Na's first drama, she played the main character, however, she was amazing! Her eyes can speak her heart so well, incredible performance. At first I kind of only found her average looking but because her eyes are so full of life, I like her :) Jimmy Lin can not only sing (I like the subtheme) and race, he can act too, a very cool guy. At first I saw almost no special chemistry between Jimmy and Yoo but after the first episode, the chemistry between him and Yoo Ha Na built very quickly and I'm very fond of them :) Like Pages of Treasure, I really liked the brother relationship between Jimmy and Leon. The older brother stood up for his younger and allowed him to do as he pleased. The fight scenes were another high area. I'm glad they didn't hate each other or quarrel over Ya Ruo. Ya Ruo played the role as a villain but I did feel sorry for her when she indirectly killed her loved one. I just wished that she would come to her senses earlier, perhaps after the death of Tian Jun and stop pestering with Tian Qi and perhaps encourage him to forgive Ah Xing rather than putting the blame on her. I can't say I admire Lee Wei or his character as Han Zhi Yin because he kept on butting into Ah Xing and Tian Qi. I pity his past, but from a viewer's point of view, anyone who tries to break the lovers apart would not be liked. Thank goodness he realized that he did not love Ah Xing but just wanted revenge on Tian Qi and in the end they became good brothers. Acting wise, they were all pretty good but I like Yoo Ha Na and Jimmy Lin's the best. Overall, I'll give casting...4.25/5

The Ending - 3.75/5

Though it was a very happy ending, unfortunately, I cannot give the ending a perfect 5/5 because of two major flaws! One was already mentioned with Tian Qi's father not living to accept Ah Xing as his daughter-in-law and Zhi Yin as his son as well as acknowledging the earlier doings of Tian Qi. I think it is important to see this moment of realization to happen. The second flaw is a very minor but has a lot of significance......the EARRING given to Tian Qi by his mother was never seen again after they split. Ni Ni found the earring that Ah Xing threw away so I don't think it was lost. I was really hoping that at the final scene when Tian Qi returned the Midsummer Night's Bracelet to Ah Xing, the earring would reappear. The meaning of that earring was just as important as Ah Xing's plastic stars. The scene when Tian Qi put the earring on Ah Xing was one of my favourites. The other favourite scene was the fire scene, the way she came back was so meaningful in standing up for what she vowed to do for him in front of his dad. "As long as Tian Qi needs me, I'll be there for him!" With two flaws, I would only give this happy ending a 3.75/5.

The Filming - visual and acoustical +0.1

The finishing of the series is worth mentioning. There was a climax in every episode and there were very memorable scenes with some skilled shooting especially during the racing scenes. The background music was perfect and added to the atmosphere.

Overall - 4.2/5