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My Thoughts on the Taiwanese Drama "Love Buffet"

Tuesday, July 5, 2011 @ 5:38 PM | comment (0)

"Love is actually very simple, and yet so complicated."

-Reen Yu

The guy you love doesn't love you.

Instead, his brother (cousin) admits to you his sincere feelings.

The guy who rejected her, or the guy who is willing to wait for her?

This love triangle is giving her a big headache!

During the cold weather, let Love Buffet give you the warmest feeling.

So I'm back with another post. Hehe. (^____^) I must admit, this has been in my "saved posts" folder for a month now. Yeah, it took me too long to publish this. I was very very busy lately, and I almost forgot that I had two "waiting to be published posts" for weeks. This one and a review for another TW drama (Sunny Happiness) that I loved with all my heart, which will be coming up in probably a week's time after this gets published. Hahaha! I'm so sorry, I don't really have a choice. And as much as I would like to write and publish posts in the speed of light, I also have a lot of things to attend to. I have work, then duty, and I also have a little bit of writing and editing to do for KPL, plus other responsibilities at home, so keeping up with time is really a struggle I have to deal with each day. And since I am an Asian drama freak, (I also keep up with the latest Asian album releases from time to time), I always make sure to watch the latest eps of all my favorite dramas until the wee hours of the morning so I sometimes go to work at 8am like a walking corpse. Oh well, I am not super girl after all, so I just take baby steps all the time, while paying extra attention to my mom who nags me because of my unrequited love for my laptop. (She thinks I love it more than her!) :)

This is a review of a new Taiwanese drama, which was well-loved and received by many, mainly because of its addicting storyline, which is true enough, quite rare, compared to the slew of new dramas, which are premiering after the other. I must confess that it has become one of my personal favorites, though it doesn't have the best-est story, or the best-est line-up of actors and actresses per see. Liking this drama actually came as a surprise because honestly, when I first started to watch it, I was in doubt if I can withstand the annoying acting of the female lead (I'm sorry to Reen Yu's fans) until the very last episode. I was really annoyed to death that I didn't feel like wanting to see her face anymore. Thank God for the two male leads, Calvin Chen and Aaron Yan from the popular Taiwanese boy group Fahrenheit, who is one of my bias groups in Cpop for years now.

I'm not the biggest fan Fahrenheit has out there, but I must admit that I have been supporting the group since their debut. Supporting them in terms of watching their movies and dramas, as well as being a regular visitor of their Wretch sites and Weibo accounts. I created an account in Sina just to follow them all, but eventually, it got terminated because I forgot my password. So with that said, I think I'll just stick to twitter. (I hope they make accounts in there as well, like what most Kpop stars are doing. Hehe.) Going back, I must admit that though I love them all, my favorite member has to be the maknae, Aaron. He has been my bias from the group ever since, and I have seen him grow from one project to another, which is enough to convince me, that he has indeed matured in everything. And this production proves just that! The depth of his acting has improved tremendously. And because I am not so used to seeing him in this light, even a stare from him sends out the different feel these days. (I think I really got used to the cute Aaron back then. :D)

This drama, though it has a lot of loopholes, managed to capture my heart, because of its realistic and heartwarming nature. It has all the elements of an idol drama from a slew of handsome guys, a dumb and pathetic princess in waiting plus her "ever supportive" support system (e.g. friends, family members, etc.), a disgusting evil witch or two, and even a few other important and not so important extended characters, and yet it remains grounded in reality. While you may think of it as your typical sugar-coated TW drama at first, a story like this can actually happen in real life.

The story appeals to me because it's real, and I was able to relate to it after watching two episodes. I have the tendency to get annoyed with overly "cute" characters of dramas initially, so I was happy because as the drama progressed, I finally found the desire to carry on and say, "Ah! This is going to be really interesting..." after every episode ended. You'll probably find it stupid and exaggerated at first. (I did!) And in the first few episodes, they really overdid some scenes, which was plain crazy and well, whatever. But the exaggeration propels the crazy storyline of the drama to unfold. And as much as I hate to say it, it made the drama more interesting to watch, though at first, I was wondering what kind of motivation pushed me watch it in the first place. (Oh maybe it was Aaron! Haha!)

Those who watched it can probably relate to what I am saying. And in case you haven't watched it yet, I would like to warn you that this drama is highly addictive and it gets better by episode, so you should be wary of that. LOL! It's crazy, it's quite frustrating and immature in a way, but it's cute and very realistic so I LOVE it! It explicitly showcases the complications of loving someone and trying to deal with it for the first time. In a nutshell, the drama is a continuum that starts from liking someone who doesn't like you, seeing the one you like being swarmed by dozens of other people around you, getting rejected because of the lame reason that the other person isn't capable of loving, and crying your heart out each time, while regretting why you confessed to that person every single moment of the every single day.

Then suddenly, another person comes in. And that's where you start to try accommodating a new person who tells you that they want to fill in the empty space. And just when the first person who dumped you realizes that he loves you too, you are already in this fine transition from being "friends to becoming a little more than that" with your new beau. And that's it! The situation gets pretty much screwed. But before everything turns into a total disaster, a "distraction" (okay, a second female lead that is) comes and takes your new prince charming away, which leaves you more or less within the radar of the old douchebag who dumped you, who is trying to win you again. So, who would you choose? Pretty confusing, right?

Xiao Feng (Reen Yu) is a lively girl starting her first year of university. Her life is turned upside down by the arrival of her new neighbors: Xing Yi Cheng/Ah Yi (Aaron Yan) and Xing Da Ye (Calvin Chen) who live in the second floor of their house. Their arrival also becomes one of the hot topics in the university where she attends. After Xiao Feng starts to get along with Da Ye, Xiao Feng realizes that she has fallen in love with Da Ye. However, Da Ye doesn't have any feelings for Xiao Feng as he treats every single girl in the same way. He says he is not capable of loving, and that he doesn't know what love is. However, she confesses to Da Ye one day, but she gets rejected. Ah Yi sees her going after her him bravely, and he starts to fall for her.

While Xiao Feng is in the process of healing the wounds from the rejection, Da Ye sees the both of them get closer and closer, day by day, and starts to feel uneasy. He gets confused with what he feels, and he hates the fact that he allowed a nice girl like Xiao Feng to slip away from his grip. Seeing her and Ah Yi develop feelings for each other, he finally understands what love is, and ultimately, how it feels like to be heartbroken because of someone you really love. When he realizes his feelings for the girl, all of the sudden, it becomes to late.

However, fate must be on his side as another person comes between Xiao Feng and Ah Yi's lives, and ruins their blossoming feelings for each other. Ah Yi gets confused altogether, as he can't seem to figure out, who he really loves between the two. This puts Xiao Feng in a messy situation, and Da Ye comes back into the picture by trying to act like the "Romeo" of the disgruntled princess who thought she was finally getting the happy ending that she wants. He tries to win her heart again, everyday. He gives her the feeling that he would never leave her again, and their feelings start to progress from there.

But when Ah Yi clears his issues and finally comes into his senses that who he loved was really Xiao Feng, the situation is now different to how it was when he was in a state of confusion from the two opposing poles. Things have become more complicated, and it became more difficult for him to take Xiao Feng back. Finally, everything comes down to "Da Ye vs. Ah Yi for Xiao Feng" in the end. So, the biggest question in the story is, will she be able to choose among the two delicious main dishes in the buffet table that love is making her pick? (Sorry for comparing Calvin and Aaron to main dishes. Haha! I can't think of anything right now. Gosh! I must be really hungry. :D)

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Love Buffet was more than just a teenybopper idol drama for me because it transcends from being one in every single way. It was the most honest, fun, and easy to relate sugar-coated TW drama that wasn't just all about the typical "I love you, you love me, and we will live happily ever after" plot. The story is charming, and it is easy to follow, but it also has a lot of twists as the story goes on. The characters are so mischievous, sometimes lovable, and at other times, hateful. Its biggest strength is its ability in piling emotional build-up every so often that it becomes too much to take, making the story a little more complicated (yet better) as it develops. The complexities that are involved in every crucial part also goes up to a higher level each time, as hearts get broken but they never get mended. Another challenge comes in without closure, and it goes on like crazy. It talks about real emotions and yes, it portrays the lives of people who are more or less, just like us! People who are confused, indecisive, looking for meaning, and searching for love.

I love the major OTP developments all throughout the story, whether it's Reen and Aaron, or Reen and Calvin. For the first time ever, this was the very first drama where I didn't have the slightest clue on who would end up with the female lead among the two male leads. I was like "center aisle" all the time and I was clueless until the very last episode! Haha! (If I didn't happen to pass by Baidu beforehand, I wouldn't know who will end up with who. Seriously.) Because I loved both male leads sincerely, I couldn't choose between the two of them. (I was like, "Gah!!! This is killing me already. I can't just sit and wait for the final ep like this. I have to know who is for who." Hahaha!) Turns out, I have a friend who just wrapped up the manga and she told me all about it. So I was like, "Tee Hee, I shouldn't have asked for spoilers. Now I won't be able to wait until the final ep comes up!" I honestly adore Calvin Chen and I love Aaron Yan. Though Aaron and Chun are my first and second biases in Fahrenheit, respectively, this doesn't mean that I love Jiro and Calvin any less. And as much as I favor Aaron over Calvin in real life, I find Calvin's character in the drama more into my liking. So if the movie Twilight has "Team Edward" and "Team Jacob", Love Buffet has "Team Ah Yi" (for Aaron) and "Team Da Ye" (for Calvin). Because it was so hard to choose between the two, I was in "Team Switcherland" (switch-er-land) the whole time, as many Twilight fanatics say it. :)

While watching the drama, I have been figuring out why it was titled Love Buffet. I don't know what the original title of the manga in Japanese is, but it actually triggered my curiosity. And later on, I realized that it is because she can't choose among the two. It's like everything is in front of her (like a buffet), but she can't seem to pick the person she wants to be with. I was like, "Nice one, Lady! Don't tell me you're going to be all selfish and keep the two guys for yourself?" the whole time. Hahaha! It was really painstakingly disappointing to watch at some point because there were two adorable guys who were waiting for her, but she can't seem to figure out who she really wants to be with. I was like "WTF! Can you just stop making both sides suffer?" because everytime she can't decide, it would cause pain to both of them. However, I understand her. She was in this complicated story that was actually the writer of the drama's fault. Haha! Actually, it's the author of the manga's fault, since it's a Japanese manga adaptation to start with.

I admire Xiao Feng's strength. It would be really difficult to be in her shoes. She was a really strong lady! Imagine, getting hurt like that all throughout? Reen Yu's performance in the drama, though it was not that amazing, was decent enough. She was able to portray the emotions of a young girl who loved for the first time, though her story was more complicated than the usual. I must admit, I did hate her at first. I cringed during her parts in the first episode because I couldn't bring myself to accept why she replaced Joanne Zheng. It was understandable because it was her first time to play the lead role in a drama, and she always played supporting roles before. Though I would have loved it more if Joanne played the role and stayed with the production, I think Reen made up for it in the end.

Aaron was really amazing in this drama. He captured my attention in the first half, and his stares were very convincing as the cold guy. I like the fact that when he gets the charming and cute guy role, he suits the character well. And when he gets the hateful guy role, he pulls it off to a T as if it's nobody's business. Aaron is really lovable! He has grown so much and his potentials are limitless. Calvin, on the other hand, was all kinds of charming that I could ever think of. He really lives up to his friendly and outgoing image on TV, and that's what I love about him! He is free-spirited and naturally happy. He is overflowing with energy pills all over his body! LOL! And like a child, he acts silly most of the time, though he gets serious when the situation calls for it. Although he may not be the best actor out of the four boys in the group, his sincere performance for this drama stole my heart. I mean, it's hard to imagine from someone who holds a master's degree in Economics from a renowned university in Canada in real life.

So if you are bored and looking for a series to watch next, maybe you should consider Love Buffet. I highly recommend it to everyone who wants to watch an Asian drama that is crazy yet realistic and fun. But don't ask me who ended up with who because I will never give an answer to that question. For that, I will only say one thing, and that is to watch the drama! Haha! If you are curious on what team (Team Ah Yi or Team Da Ye) emerged victorious in the end, then you should definitely start watching this. :)