First Impressions and Trailer for That Love Comes
I am not a completist when it comes to fangirling someone I like onscreen. So when one of my favorite actors comes out with a new project, I am not always guaranteed to even check it out. I’m weird like that. I have to be in the mood and it has to call to me.
So when I heard about Joe Cheng‘s new online C-drama That Love Comes (horrible translation, should actually be Welcome Love), I was first horrified and then resigned. But then the drama premiered online, and I immediately heard that some folks were rather pleasantly surprised by it. Always a good sign. I decided to check it out.
Ladies & Gentlemen: That Love Comes is a bona fide little diamond in the rough. It’s C-drama origins are misleading – this feels like a cousin of Autumn’s Concerto in cinematography with sprinklings of J-dorama elegance and simplicity. I like what little I have seen, i.e. one episode, enough to watch this drama until it either ends or takes a nose-dive into poke-my-eyes-out-ville (which happened with Fall in Love with a Female Anchor).
Check out the entended trailer below. I actually watched this first and liked what I saw before diving into the full first episode, which I liked even better than the trailer. What makes That Love Comes so unique for a C-drama is that it utterly bathes the drama in a appropriate and lovely soundtrack (seriously, I was beginning to think every single music editor in China was on a strike and refused to put music into any scene), and a very active camera angle.
The drama constantly moves, in the softest of ways, so that its comes alive and is never static. I am quite pleased with these judicious technique improvements. Will keep you guys updated on whether the story turns out to be worthwhile as well. So far, I’m intrigued enough to say it has potential. And Joe is OMG-smoking hot and got his mojo back. His acting in episode 1 was spot-on.
Extended Trailer for That Love Comes (with English subs):
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPgPANfD2W4]
I’m watching the third episode right now and it’s so far, so good. The cinematography is absolutely stunning. I’m loving Joe Cheng as Xia Tian and even Li Fei Er as Ye Zi. I’ve never seen either of them in a drama before, but I think they have really great chemistry on-screen. I’m glad you mentioned it on AKP! I was wondering whether you watched it or not but I had forgotten to ask. Do you know why tudou suddenly released this drama online? It’s kind of random…but I like it!
I like the trailer… I loved Joe (and Ariel) in ISWAK and TKA, and so I was excited to watch Love or Bread, but that was a disappointment. I actually enjoyed it for the most part, but the ending killed it for me. I don’t know if you’ve seen it so I won’t spoil you 😉
This looks good though. And you’re right, Joe is super hot in the trailer. He’s also such a good actor that it’s nice to see him in a role where he actually gets to emote like a normal human being, yet isn’t OTT silly like his LoB character.
I don’t watch a lot of Cdramas, but I’ll keep an eye on this one. Thanks for the update! 🙂
plus it must help EVER SO MUCH that Joe Cheng looks quite delicious here… I’m in!
holey moley ockoala… you just keep outdoing yourself as to making me love you and your blog…
i was writing a last comment in this other thread before going to sleep and got retained by this post. sigh.
I’m SO glad you decided to 1. check the drama out 2. post something about it here.
And i know right? until i googled the english title to ask you about what you thought about it, based on the original title, I thought the title was Welcome love… -_-”
kk.. glad you liked it as well… and it’s about my third time reiterating it but i LOVE the soundtrack.. can’t get over how lovely it is…
“this feels like a cousin of Autumn’s Concerto in cinematography with sprinklings of J-dorama elegance and simplicity” and you’re spot on with the description of that loves come (i’m still not used to that title whenever i type it). When I tried to describe to others how that drama feels like, I had a hard time finding a good way to put it. As always, you’re awesome. ^^
I also love the directing… the only flaw so far is the female lead and the occasional comedic aspect of the convenience shop… it’s funny but still sometimes too slapstick it gets irritating. Li Fei Er is gorgeous but she tends to overreact. However, she also has that endearing charm as well so it compensates.
and now, i’m going to sleep. for real.
have to add.. i love joe in this… not only cuz he’s hotter than ever but he’s acting exceeded my expectations.
oh… i just watched ep 3…. and got reminded why the female lead irritated me… she tries to act cute instead of BEING cute. and she does stupid things like getting in front of a running car to return a freaking handkerchief. off to watch ep 4.
and here goes my night.
Oh really? I don’t mind the female lead although I do think she’s pretty bubbly in the happy-go-lucky-kind-of-way. But the only person I really care about is Joe Cheng’s Xia Tian. He blows everyone else out of the water, which is why I totally understand why people adore him! I’ve been enlightened. Lol.
lol… the female leads doesn’t irritate me to the point where it ruins the drama yet but she’s not a plus either… imo.
but yes… i don’t think i ever saw joe shine as much as now. maybe i should go back and rewatch iswak to be reminded of zhi shu’s greatness, cuz joe’s xia tian is making zhi shu a bit fuzzy to me.
I think it’s the hair. The sexy, curly, OMG-SO-HOT-I-WANT-TO-UNTANGLE kind of hair. For some reason, I also like it better than Seung Jo & Goo Joon Pyo’s curlies. And honestly? Whenever Joe comes on, it’s the hair that I stare at — and drool over. Just sayin’.
I like Li Fei Er as Ye Zi better than Emma Pei as Flora though. Both aren’t super appealing female characters, but I do like what I’ve seen so far in Ye Zi. She’s cute but not ditzy, y’know?
Yep… I think it’s the hair as well… and the leather jacket. but mainly the hair… I don’t know WHAT about the hair though… it’s not so curly but it has something that’s awfully sexy… yes, that “OMG-SO-HOT-I-WANT-TO-UNTANGLE” thing you said.
I definitely like it better than gu jun pyo’s hair… but i need to go back and compare BSJ and xia tian to see which hair i think is hotter… but in my heart, it’s like i already know it’s joe’s.
for me, i don’t know what but it’s joe’s eyes that makes me melt… they seem a bit gentle… or maybe it’s his mouth? i don’t know, it’s just when i see his gentle expression, i CANNOT resist.
and yes, li fei er is better than emma here… like i said, she’s not hateful, which i like… as ye zi, she gives off this honest, genuine feeling so yes, i admit she’s not that bad. i think she surpassed the just-a-pretty-face status in here but i still think she has a long way to go. and yes, she’s not ditzy… but i don’t know why, whenever she does mooney eyes act with zhi shu, which is like every time she sees him, i sometimes want to go tell her… can’t you be more subtle about how much you fawn over him?? i think even hani is less obvious in displaying her crush. although with some thoughts, i can’t say i blame her.. i would probably do the same.
i mean mooney eyes at xia tian, not zhi shu… -_-“
This is becoming a thread. Lol. Anyway, I do agree with you about Ye Zi’s not-so-subtle methods of looking at Xia Tian, since she could be little less obvious. Maybe it’s because he’s her first crush and she doesn’t exactly know what to do with all these feelings, especially since Mommy — the typical Asian mother — wants to start on blind dates/marriage plans. Oooh. At first, I disagreed with you about Ha Ni being less obvious about her crush but now that I think about it, Ha Ni liked Seung Jo for four years. Ye Zi’s only met the guy and making moony eyes on the second day. She’s falling hard. Haha, I think you really want to tell Ye Zi, “Stop making those eyes at Joe because he’s also mine! Rawr!” It’s okay. I feel the same way when it comes to :ahem: Jang Geun Suk, Chun Jung Myung, and Yoo Ah In. (^~^”)
aish… you’re right.. this is uneasily starting to become a thread. i’ll just keep this short then.
lol. her mommy is kind and nice but not very bright i should say. i wished my mom would be typical asian mother. maybe it’s because i’m too young but she tells me to marry late, if ever. -_-” and yep. the girl is falling hard. and haha. you’re probably right about me being subconsciouly possessive.. OMG. JAE SHIN. I HEART YOU! SO. BAD. i still can’t get over the smile jgs did in YAB after the ice cream trip. melt. and pie smiling.. eunjo yah.. adja;sljf;
Yeah, those are my main 3. If I claim anymore, I’ll be considered greedy. And yes, Jae Shin is probably the sole reason why I watch SKKS. Him and Yeorim = <3
short reply. omo, you too? the reason i love skks but don’t love it as much as i should is because i care mainly about jaeshin and yongha (together) more than i care for any other aspect of the drama even though if it was made right, i would have cared about the main storyline more. but i’m not complaining. i want more JSxYH
Thank God. I get auto up-date on my e-mail account. I’ll be able to watch this after my gig is completed. Something to look forward to later 🙂
Joe’s so xoxo!
omo, omo, omo this looks absolutely fabulous!!!
Thanks ockoala for the preview!!! I think I want to check this out.
Were could I watch this with English Subs?
Joe is looking mighty fine!! Go sexy Go!!!!
Oooh. Looks good. I like Joe, even if not enough to check out every drama with him (which is just as well, as have you tried watching Summer x Summer?)
Anyway, off to look if it’s been subbed.
Btw, I sent you a PM on livejournal – just wanted to make sure you got it, it had something you wanted in it.
I got it, Mousie. Sorry, PK-fervor and fever precluded me from remember to actually, you know, THANK YOU properly. I is bad drama moocher. Thank you!!!
Will let you know what I think (or if I immaculately conceived a baby watching it).
This is the first c-drama that I am waiting for the next esp. if you like the first esp. it’s getting better …joe’s smoking !
Aww, it is an online drama? My internet connection is damn slow so I’m not sure if I could watch this on Youtube… Is there any download somewhere? LoL
I missed this guy! I totally love him since ISWAK days. ^^
Damn you! Now I have to check this out. Why is my to-watch list always growing? Gah!
You know what? The trailer reminded me -just a little- of kdramas and that’s a good enough for me. The cinematography looks beautiful and yay, nice music. I only have a question: are there many voice-overs? That’s one of the things I don’t like and that can pull me out of the mood of the drama faster than you say, “hey”. I mean, I don’t expect all the dramas I watch to be subtle, but…well, I don’t need to be TOLD every little thing, I really don’t need to hear the main character’s voices telling me what I’ve just witnessed with my eyes, like, 2 seconds before. Redundant much? BTW, that’s one of the problems I’ve had with ISWAK/TKA
Ooooh you have an LJ? *checks* OOOOOOOOH *claps hands excitedly* I may PM you one of these days cos I’ve got to ask you something…*shifty eyes*
Hypothetically…if I wanted to watch this, where should I be pointing my browser at? I…uh…never watched an online drama. Viikii?
Yeah, it’s on viikii. ^^ Oh, and there are quite a few flashbacks and voiceovers. It hasn’t bothered me (yet). But don’t take my word for it! Check it out! ;P
@endodo4ever
Thanks! 🙂 I thought maybe the network that airs it had an online website or something…Anyway, thanks again.
It’s on viikii, Sere, like @endodo4ever said. Episode 4 just came out.
Unfortunately, so far its voice-over heavy, but the girl’s voice doesn’t grate and what she says is actually quite nice. I’m not annoyed yet, let me put it that way.
As for my LJ, I started it to comment-spam Dangermousie when she was watching LoCH2008 (Ariel-HuGe, Loverboy-Shishi, hhhhhmmmmm).
I don’t post but you can PM me there. DM via twitter is the fastest watch to incite me to squee over something with you. 😀
ACK, voiceovers! 🙁 I’ll check it out, I promise. I just don’t know when to fit it in my schedule. Why are there so many dramas I wanna watch? It’s not fair.
I have an LJ. I’ve just recently moved everything to Dreamwidth for a number of reasons, but I still cross-post fandom stuff on LJ and besides, most of my flist and my comms are still on lj so I’m still there, like, ALL the time. ^^
Ah, but I don’t think the 140 limit is gonna cut it this time. 😉 It’s either a PM or an email, let me know which one you like best
Does anyone know where I can find the song that plays in the theme opening? Its so pretty!