I am human, not a super-hero Koala or even a Koala who has discovered the means to bend space and time. With that said, I really am “my heart wants but my body cannot do” (a Chinese proverb for desiring to do something that you are physically incapable of) with respect to Material Queen. I watched episode 1 of the drama on Friday (like all TW-dramas it has a cute episode naming mechanism tied to its drama title – here episode 1 was called One Carat), and it was love at first sight.
Episode 1 might be the most brilliant first episode of a romance TW-drama I have ever watched. Ever. It’s head and shoulders above anything TW-dramas have ever aimed for, and it’s sheer visual artistry and use of the Parisian location shoots PWNs every K-drama out there in the same genre. I spent yesterday chewing my finger nails off trying to figure out whether I can recap it or just write a first impressions review. I was that torn.
MQ debuted with a very disappointing 0.77 in ratings, which is what I expected based on its its Friday timeslot and the fact that I don’t believe this drama would ever appeal to TW-viewers at all. My comparison of MQ as pushing the boundaries of TW-idol drama is akin to Black & White pushing the boundaries of TW-dramas in general. It is never going to get widepread public acceptance. At most the international audiences and a cult following in Taiwan will appreciate it. I was blown away by the guts of this drama – going for such stark and unflinching dissection of modern beliefs of love and money.
Lynn Xiong is the heart, soul, and anchor of this drama. She *is* Lin Chu Man, a top model who was so coldly thrown away as a child that love is not an emotion she believes exists. It’s like asking her if she believes in the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus. How can you dislike her? She is honest and unfront about who she is – a woman with looks who wants money for security. She will barter herself for that, even if she subconsciously yearns for a human connection based on sincerity that she doesn’t even believe in.
I’m still reeling over how amazing an actress Lynn is for this role. It’s like how bad an actress top-model Lin Chi Ling is, Lynn Xiong throws the models-can’t-act prejudice out the window. She is inbuing a role within a role (her Chu Man is an actress in the drama, a top model putting on act to land her a rich husband), and you can actually see the subtle shifts between the real Chu Man and when Chu Man is putting on a show for her man in her life. Forget how utterly gorgeous Lynn looks in real life – she’s putting herself on the line to play this role and it shows. There is no fear that her character is too shallow, too materialistic, too dirty, she takes it all in stride. This is who I am, and why can’t I be true to myself? I love Chu Man already.
Vanness Wu, on the other hand, is just not cut out for this type of nuanced, emotionally rich role. His very limited acting repertoire completely showed in episode 1, and I spent every scene with him wishing that Ethan Ruan had been cast. Ethan would have NAILED the role, it’s just one step above his drama pinnacle performance as Lucas in My Queen. The fact that I adore Material Queen regardless of Vanness’ bad acting speak volumes about how magnificent this drama is. PD Chen Wei Ling brings tears to my eyes with her talent as a director, and being a woman in a predominently male field to boot. This drama is so beautiful to watch it makes my heart ache. The music cues in the drama is also outstanding, whoever is the sound mixer and OST producer needs to get a raise.
In the end, I am definitely watching this drama. It’s just heads and shoulders above anything Taiwan has offered before in the romance genre. Yes, even Drunken to Love You follows the tried and true idol model in script and execution. Material Queen is like watching something that takes you out of your comfort zone, and make you riveted to the screen with the majesty and the challenge. Are you ready for this, it seems to be saying to us all. While I don’t have time to recap it for the next few weeks, once my life gets less hectic, if the drama keeps getting better, I may pick up recapping. Until then, rest assured that I’m following MQ and bring updates as I see fit.
PD Chen directed Vanness’s MV for the first single of his new album “Is This All” which is also the theme song for MQ:
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I am with you Koala,.. I will be watching this too...
I am with you tooo......
after DTLY, this would be my next T-drama to watch....even though I'm dying to watch doramas(missed the hana kimi,hyd..in short reverse harem days)..and bending time and space is sooooo impossible(downloading raws..then studying at the same time..crazy!!!)hope ockoala wil do a recap for this:)...ockoala.HWAITING!
Yes, I wanna watch this! The story and production quality is totally different from other Taiwan dramas. Can see that even from the 25 min preview.
Does anyone have the video link for Ep 1? Can't find it on youtube.
Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-mF8wYgE7wU
The video is unlisted because it comes from my favorite website for TW dramas, http://www.sugoideas.com
You can watch it on their website too.
Check it out! :)
I've been waiting to hear your thoughts of this. I started watching a bit of this and I gotta say this is something totally new to TW-dramas. I rarely rarely watch TW-dramas with the exception of a few vic zhou dramas. I've never seen anything so beautiful or as top notch as this. This has got to be the very first time I've ever seen anything like this in the drama world. Chen YuShan is definitely at the very top of her game. Patricia Field doesn't disappoint either. I'm loving the fashion. The pink feather earring is so trendy right now and the hair styles - AMAZING!
i HATED Ethan in defeated queen . which is so dissapointing because i loved cydi wang , i thought she was so different from our normal TW heroines , i quite fancied her LOL . chemistry aside i didn't appreciate the way Ethan's character was all " am the good person with the good heart and your personality is just crap so i'll teach you how to become a good person like me ! he was sooo preachy that i jumped ships and was all for her reuniting with her ex . gaaah , still not over that !
anywho - i never had much hope for Van in this drama , idk i think his so empty - there's just little to no feeling i get when i watch him on screen even thouh i marathoned AC like a mad woman i wouldn't watch it a second time . i think he'd do match better in a Rom Com .
lol i meant cheryl Yang . lol how did i get those two mixed up ? damn mike he and his bread !
Another good one: "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."
(o;
I've never seen Lynn Xiong in a drama. Does she have any other works or is this her first one?
Oooh, can't wait to watch it!
Hopefully Lynn's acting has improved, and by your impression, it seems as if she has...(cuz she was quite bad in Ip Man I & II)
I think for this drama, the director is Chen Huiling, who also directed Autumn's Concerto & Vanness' new MV...the producer of the drama is Chen Yushan...
Either way, it's great that women are a force to be reckoned with (behind the scenes) in the Taiwanese drama industry...just wished the same could be said about women (behind the scenes) in the Korean drama industry.
I'll watch it based on your review...I'm kinda excited now :D
The song is pretty good but i LOVE the style. Seriously in agreement with you that this PD is uber talented. Unfortunately, Vanness' limited repertoire or facial expressions just makes me want to cry at the waste. Ethan Ruan would have been AMAZING for this. Sigh. I'm conflicted as to whether or not I'll be following MQ but if you do recap it, I'll be sure to read up, then maybe watch it if it does interest me further. (Just like I watched Autumn Concerto coz it pulled me in even though Vanness Wu was in it too)