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Hilarious in the Extreme: Watching Miss Crow with Mr. Lizard (2021)

36 episode series on VIKI (click here to watch)

Seen episodes 1-12.

The series is new so not all episodes are released yet.

💗 Watch the trailer with English subs below! 💗

Allen Ren and Fair Xing (from Put Your Head on My Shoulder fame) are the leads, and Chloe Zhao (villainous VP role in The Brightest Star in the Sky) plays Fair Xing's best friend (a super refreshing change for her since I've only seen her play a you-know-what).

Due to being a victim in a horrendous car wreck when he was in his early twenties, architectural designer Gu Chuan (Allen Ren) undergoes an experimental heart surgery that replaces his own heart with a mechanical heart that is only supposed to last around 10 years. Ten years into the future, not only is he living on borrowed time, but he can't drink alcohol, can't really exercise since it elevates his pulse, and, you guessed it, romantic intimacy is out.

While he's living his calm, boring, borrowed time life, Jiang Xiao Ning (Fair Ching) comes on board at his company as his PA and driver. And she brings with her a bright, positive breath of fresh air. What's more, even if his pulse is elevated due to agitation, when he touches her, he doesn't give her an electric shock the way he normally does if he touches anyone or anything when he's in that condition (I'm hoping he wears rubber-soled shoes).

So, what we have here is a romantic comedy in a business setting with a science fiction twist! 

I'm only 12 episodes in, but I am LOVING this series so far. 

This will be a slow-burn romance, I can tell already, and that's perfectly fine with me. There have been a ton of belly laughs so far due to the antics of everybody, including the supporting cast, and I'm just really excited to see where Miss Crow with Mr. Lizard goes.

Warning: For anyone who might be triggered, there are a few scenes of attempted sexual assault and sexual coercion (not from any of the main male characters) and it is not graphic, but it is scary. The ML shines quite a bit though and I appreciate that both the FL and the SFL are made of pretty tough stuff.

Wild Adventures with Z. Tao: Watching Hot Blooded Youth (2019)

58 episode series (Fully subbed) from 2019 on VIKI (click here to watch)

Seen episodes 1-22.

💗 Watch the trailer with English subs below! 💗

My knowledge of Chinese history is absolutely zilch. So I have no clue how accurate Hot Blooded Youth. I also realize that it will be prejudiced a certain way, so, yeah, that's expected.

I do know that Hot Blooded Youth involves the Shanghai International Settlement as it was in what appears to be either the late 1920s or the early 1930s. So we have foreigners (in this case the French and the British) who are given an obscene amount of privileges running around and causing chaos in Shanghai, rather like America's extension of the diplomatic immunity olive branch. As I see it.

Then we have our hero character, Wu Qian (Huang Zi Tao), wreaking another kind of havoc. He's the Dickensian type of Dodger character, the Jack Kelly from Newsies, the street rat named Aladdin, or the Thomas from The Maze Runner. He's the crazy kid with the bloated ego and enough charm to woo the tusks off an elephant. All of this explains why I love him and why I've become a dedicated Z. Tao fan in the last 6 months. He plays the obnoxious, charming, snarky type of male hero that I like.

Wu Qian is a street rat, or as he calls himself, king of the slums. He rules over one particular street in Shanghai and takes care of all its inhabitants. But circumstances throw him in the path of He Hong Yi (Sophie Zhang), a dedicated member of a revolutionary group. Together they take on a crazy challenge that could either kill them or win them a fortune. Throw in Wu Qian's oldest and best friend Wei Cheng Feng (Liu Yu Ning) and you have a complete set, made even odder because Cheng Feng is a temporary police officer which should put him completely at odds with his BFF.

The series is dynamite to watch. I've never watched anything from China set in the 1920s or 1930s and I gotta say that they worked at it with the women's clothing. Not the FL since she's unconventional in her clothing choices, but all of the other gals (or even molls since a lot of them are involved with gangsters) are dressed in very accurate 1930s clothing, hair, makeup, the works. It's awesome.

The first couple of episodes are campier than the rest. The filming style is a bit like Guy Ritchie, especially the openers which change based on what "chapter" of the story you're in. You finish one chapter and it leads into another one. Like, where I am right now, Wu Qian has been falsely imprisoned in a maximum-security prison. One of his enemies wanted a pet of his rescued from the prison and he also happens to hate Wu Qian so he kidnapped him and plopped him in there as a replacement. It's amazing what money can buy.

If you have time and are at all fascinated with the 1920s or 1930s then you will probably love this series. If you're expecting romance, this isn't your drama. It may get romantic since there is a zing between Wu Qian and He Hong Yi, I don't know, but that's not the main plot point. It's also possible that everyone may die at the end. I won't know until I get there, and it is slow-going since watching this show is a marathon, not a sprint. But for me Hot Blooded Youth is like potato chips, one episode is never enough.

Warning: Definitely a PG13 or TV14 rating for violence. Especially once Wu Qian makes it to prison. You would have really thought Z. Tao was being tortured by the reactions he gave. I actually cried a time or two. I don't like watching anyone being tortured. But miraculously, like Jack Bauer from 24, Wu Qian heals pretty quickly. 😉

In other news, Happy Birthday to Z. Tao! I'm a day late, probably 2 with the time difference, but I wish you absolutely the best as you turn 28, and I am so sorry for the loss of your father that has made this birthday more painful than it probably should have been. Praying for you, Baby Panda. 💗

Li Ge Yang as the Male Lead: Watching Always Have, Always Will (2021)

24 (30 minute) episode series available with English subs on Amazon Prime with a subscription (click here to watch). Or it's also available on YouTube if you search.

Seen episodes 1-7.

💗 Watch the trailer with English subs below! 💗

I usually don't go for the shorter episode series, but do make a few exceptions, like in this case, for Li Ge Yang! If you don't know how much I love him, read my review for The Love Equations where he plays a nerdy second male lead (I was afraid playing the SML would be his fate forever). And the FL played by Dawn Chen is silly but cute.

Always Have, Always Will is your typical college romance story between a cold guy Luo Yan and a warm girl Fang Li. They were enemies ( ? ) in high school, from her perspective, and she's fuming that he's at the university. Not only that but during a round of something that looks like spin the bottle but not quite, he has to kiss a girl of his choosing and he picks her. She's mortified and determined to enact revenge!

It's not a super original theme, and I'm not usually a fan of the colder ML syndrome, but Li Ge Yang could probably play almost any character and make me like him. The characters are rather silly and I wish the subtitles on Amazon Prime were better since I think that would clear up some confusion. Crossing my fingers that VIKI will take the series on as a project someday. Li Ge Yang is growing in popularity and he's got several ML roles lined up in the future, but this is his first male lead role ever so I'm cheering him on.

There are some unfortunate bullying tactics at use in Always Have, Always Will, but I expected that going in with the enemies-to-lovers theme. I'm excited for the moment when they can acknowledge that they like each other and not be at war. I mean, I can tell the characters are attracted to each other, but they're just a little ridiculous when it comes to showing it. His jealousy isn't very pretty and he gets snide and arrogant pretty quick, one of the least attractive attributes in a man, IMO.

But Always Have, Always Will is fun and overall pretty bubbly and just a fluffy watch. Nothing too serious going on so a nice break from reality.

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Chinese Drama Review: The Love Equations (2020)

Drama: The Love Equations 

Country: China 

Year: 2020 

Genre: Slow-Burn Romance, College, Friendship 

Starring: Simon Gong, Reyi Liu, Li Ge Yang 

My Rating: 9 ★s 

Romantic complications arise when forensic science student Zhao Fan Zhou (Simon Gong) falls hard for the adorable Zhou Xiao (Reyi Liu), a literature student in the same university. Zhou Xiao loves all things detective-themed, even down to creating a detective club for the university. At first, her relationship with Zhao Fan Zhou is all about his majoring in forensic science, since she's writing an online novel from the perspective of a forensic scientist, but soon he wins over her heart. Their feelings blossom into a full-fledged relationship much to the annoyance of two friends, Zhao Fan Zhou's arrogant childhood friend Jia Yi Chun (Zhu Yun Hui) who has always crushed hard on him, and Zhou Xiao's childhood friend, Cai Ya Si (Li Ge Yang), who has equally been in love with Zhou Xiao for about as long as he can remember.

While their relationship seems to thrive for a long time since they are such a well-matched pair, eventually health concerns for Zhao Fan Zhou's mother (bipolar disorder) and his fear that he might develop symptoms as he ages, interferes in their relationship. Helped along a little bit by the underhanded conniving of Jia Yi Chun. Are Zhao Fan Zhou and Zhou Xiao meant to be? Or should they go their separate ways and find love in different places?

The Love Equations is both a frustrating and wonderful drama.

I attribute much of its success to the performance of Simon Gong as Zhao Fan Zhou. In the Japanese realm, the character's what is known as more of a tsundere, meaning he's pretty cold at first but emotionally warms up when you get to know him. Simon is the oldest of the main actors, having been about 27 when they filmed the series, and he's clearly familiar with romance and love and how to emote all of that through his eyes. He makes a difficult character like Zhao Fan Zhou very approachable and likable. The end of the series, particularly episodes 23, 24, and 25 are painful in that the leads have been driven apart, made even more painful because of Simon Gong's stellar performance. He made me cry!

Reyi Liu as Zhou Xiao is the typical cutesy, clueless female lead that the Chinese college dramas seem to be so in love with. I like the character and I don't like her at the same time. She does tend a bit on the annoying side sometimes, but once she and Zhao Fan Zhou are actually in a relationship, I really started to like her. She grew into herself, and the actors have dynamic chemistry. Overall, Reyi Liu brought a passionate bubbliness to the role that was necessary. So long as you don't binge-watch the series, you'll continue liking her up through the end. 

I have to praise Li Ge Yang. He's more of a newcomer, sort of, and this is a support role for him like most of his work through 2020. But he makes Cai Ya Si such a lovable, adorkable nerd. He's so playful and goofy! If I were in my early twenties and had my choice of male characters in The Love Equations, I would have chosen Cai Ya Si, hands' down. I adore nerds and he's absolutely my type, plus he can wear yellow, one of my favorite colors, and I absolutely cannot! His loyalty to Zhou Xiao, especially when she's emotionally hurting, is beautiful. On a total side note, Li Ge Yang is like a Chinese version of Kento Yamazaki, which I think is pretty high praise. He's got the same vibe. I would have given anything for him to be a male lead in this series and get his own girl, rather than be the doomed alternate love interest for the female lead. Fortunately, Li Ge Yang has quite a few upcoming dramas in his line-up where he's playing the male lead, so I'm excited for that. I probably will never see him play a nerd again, so sad, but it'll be interesting to see how he approaches different character personalities.

One of the unique aspects of The Love Equations is that it tackles the topic of mental health, a bit of a taboo subject in many cultures. Zhao Fan Zhou's mother is a woman paralyzed with untreated bipolar disorder, at least until they finally get her into the hospital after a correct diagnosis. His home life was unpleasant growing up, and the character suffered a lot of emotional trauma and unwillingness to connect with others because his mother had been undiagnosed for so long resulting in the strife between his parents. So he has to work through a lot of that stress and angst while his mother receives treatment.

I do feel that the series has far too many support characters. Like Zhou Xiao's college roommates/friends who you see and then don't see, and you're involved in their love lives and then you're not. It would have pared the series down if there hadn't been so many different characters. I think there are something like 5 or 6 other characters that weren't strictly necessary. If they'd been chopped, then the series might have fit more into the 24 episode range.

Speaking of, since this is a Chinese drama, yes, we have 27 full-length episodes, rather than the 10 or so that most Japanese dramas dish out. It's refreshing because it does give the characters time to grow, but it also gives time for all of those tropes to fully flesh out, like the evil girl from Zhao Fan Zhou's childhood. I say evil because it's true. I'm surprised she doesn't stab Zhao Fan Zhou through the heart with her "if I can't have him, nobody can" mentality. I pity the actress Zhu Yun Hui since this is her first role and I'm pretty much conditioned to hate any character she plays going forward. This female character is the nastiest jealous love rival I've ever seen, by far.

But jealous love rivals aside, The Love Equations is well worth the watch. It's a slow-burn romance, like most of the Chinese dramas that I've seen, so it just takes time to develop. Let it. Zhao Fan Zhou and Zhou Xiao are precious and even though they suffer waaaaaaay more than necessary, there is a happily-ever-after.

I encourage watching the show on VIKI since it's a legal streaming service and the subtitles are terrific. You might need a subscription, but I have one for $4.99 a month which is barely a drop in the bucket. And if you already watch Asian dramas, then you're probably already subscribed to VIKI anyway.

If you do watch The Love Equations, tell me what you think of the show. And tell me what you think of Li Ge Yang!

Enjoy this sweet MV from Youtube.

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