Finally! Miss Screw can finally get married now, and hopefully this means Miss Rose can stop dithering and end on a high note to wrap up what was a truly enjoyable ride until recently. With SETTV wanting Sonia Sui to return to dramas with the MR follow up drama Replacement Princess, the network had to scramble when Sonia declined the role due to her focus on movies now. Funnily enough, SETTV found Sonia’s former movie co-star Nikki Hsieh, herself a critically acclaimed movie actress, to take over the role. Nikki had bit parts in some old dramas before switching to movies and winning numerous awards. Her recent return to television with the lovely Die Sterntaler with Rhydian Vaughn has been a ratings bomb but I really think it has nothing to do with her or the quality of that drama. I was actually quite enchanted with how breathtaking the first few episodes were and Nikki was a refreshing new find for me in terms of leading actress material. She plays a deaf mute in the drama and her sign acting is among the best I’ve seen. In fact, I’d say she’s the best version of that Aya character among the three adaptations (with Sakai Noriko in Hoshi no Kinka and Go Hyung Jung in Spring Days). Nikki reminds me of a cross between Ivy Chen‘s slight pixie presence and Ariel Lin‘s immersive acting style. I am totally checking out this new drama for her, and for the second male lead Chris Wu. If they were the OTP then this drama would be perfect, but alas SETTV appears to be fixated on casting James Wen in project after project and he’s reportedly the male lead here. Sigh, I don’t hate James, but his acting and onscreen persona is just like how his name sounds like – warm raw oyster. So blah.
I don’t know anyone who fangirls James Wen, so why does he keep getting leading man roles when he’s about as interesting to watch onscreen as paint dry. Chris Wu, on the other hand, is all sorts of yum. His last drama where he played an anti-hero leading man in Friday night’s What is Love? didn’t get a lot of attention and frankly wasn’t very good IMO. I’m just happy he’s getting more exposure and maybe this drama will pull a I Love You So Much and have the girl pick guy 2 for a change. No word yet on when the drama will air, but considering its just starting to film, I would put the premiere in mid-to-late January. Which means MR still has to endure for at least 5 more episodes. What the hell are they going to keep doing to keep Si Yi and Cheng Kuan apart? Why can’t they just get married and the last few episodes are about them trying to get pregnant or starting a company. Anything is better then the Vivian-plots story line.
Is ut true that MR is continuing to episode 25? This makes me so exciteafd anymore with all the conflicts that SY and CK have to go through.I agree with you Ocoala,I want to see when they get married how fortune oracle will dance as promised if she lost.And how they passed the first night, it would be in credible. Office
What Miss ROse needs is to have them get married, and have the rest of the time with SY, CK, YC, and SJ working together to expose the corruption in the company and kick everyone out who was a part of it. We need a triumph of/for the screws everywhere! I am bothered not just by the wimpiness of SY, but also with the fact that the writers set up an unstable condition with this company and then do not use the real conflict they established for dramatic excitment and instead have fallen back to using old drama coupons. Was the ex-girlfriend in the hospital coupon going to expire? The characters they created deserve better than this.
Sorry, I meant, office affairs also seems no good solution. So it must not be an end in episode 20, isn’t ?
Why, oh why, can’t Chris Wu get a really good leading man role. I have already jumped to second lead and I probably won’t even be able to watch this drama. Why isn’t James Wren second lead? He would be really good, and I would not feel badly at all when the leading lady picked someone else (unlike in a lot of other dramas). I could not get on the The Firece Wife train because I was done with him in the first episode. Then I thought, “who are the people who want her to get back with him” that would cause any interest in a movie version? I did not even feel that sorry for him in My Queen, coming back after suffering in Africa. I know this makes me sound like a bad person, but if I am not feeling any sympathy for such a character than . . .
Cough. I slightly fangirl(though not a big one) over James Wen and find your comment slightly offensive. Everyone’s taste is different, just like I always find Chris Wu’s screen presence low even during 下一站幸福 or 花是愛 (which i find entertaining in the first few episode but lackluster in the later parts) so I don’t share your adoration for him.
James Wen is fantastic as 學長 from Defeated Queen and he’s adorable in 那一年幸福的時光，I actually like him and Sonia a lot in that drama and also in PS Man. This all happened before he took his role in fierce wife which made him infamous… Sigh, how I wish he didn’t took that role. I don’t dare to watch fierce wife because I always want to view him as a warm guy in my head instead of the asshole adulterous husband.
Anyways, I’m happy to see James Wen getting the lead role, it’s about time!
Part of the issue with James Wen is he is cast in stiff-ish roles.
Does he ever get to rollic and frolic?
I would like to see him do that.
I can understand your point about being type cast after The Fierce Wife.
I don’t mind the adulterer part too much, but the crying was too much.
His role from 那一年幸福的時光 wasn’t particularly stiff, and I agree, he was adorable.
Thanks! I will look for it with subs.
James Wen has been a drama lead plenty of times – The Fierce Wife, Gong Hay Fat Choy. I didn’t say I didn’t know why people would fangirl him, I said I didn’t know anyone who did. I don’t see how that can even slightly offend you. I really don’t know a single person who fangirls him. I think he’s a good actor, one of the better ones in TW. But his onscreen presence is soooooo lukewarm for me.
I luv Chris Wu. SO.MUCH! I wish he’d get a leading man role soon – where he gets the girl and stuff.
He is and did get the girl in What is Love? Drama sucked though.
Any news on what the storyline would be about?
Not yet.
Why does James Wen get cast so often? Is he a really good actor? Or like have many fangirls?
I saw him in a couple of dramas- he wasn’t really memorable and didn’t stand out you see.
He’s a good actor, the technique is there. He just lacks that certain something for me, the spark that makes me go “Ah ha! Now there is a guy I could watch onscreen for 20+ hours and root for him.”
James Wen is a 5-time Golden Bell awards nominee (4 of which are for Best Actor) since 2005 for a pretty diverse range of dramas, none of which is idol drama (except My Queen in which it was the only time he was nominated Best Supporting Actor).
I’m not a fangirl of James Wen but he is certainly one of the better male actors in Taiwan.
I have watched him in 4 dramas My Queen (where he was awesome as 2nd male lead), PS Man (where he was just about the only good thing in the crappy show), The Year of Happiness and Love (where he was absolutely winning as the adorkable male lead) and The Fierce Wife (where he took on not pleasing role as the adulterer).
Suggest that you watch him in The Year of Happiness and Love, if you haven’t already watched the drama.
Decent drama and James was great in his role and very winning together with Sonia Sui as the OTP in that drama. It was the same drama that made me change my mind about Sonia, whom I find really bland in PS Man, but she was so fiesty with James and they had really good chemistry in The Year of Happiness and Love.
I’m gonna be a little weirded out if the main pairing ends up being James/Nikki. Judging from her performance in Die Sterntaler, I think Nikki could still pass for a teenager if she wanted, but James… well, it depends on his make-up and how he’s dressed up, mostly. 😛 At least he’s a pretty solid actor, but then again, Chris Wu is too.
Just might check this one out, though. I agree, Ms Koala, when you say finding Nikki was “refreshing.” I haven’t caught up on recent episodes of Die Sterntaler yet, but she managed to be cute without overdoing it, which a loooot of actresses need work on.
Nikki is an ’85er. She’s 27 going on 28. But yeah, she looks straight outta high school. As does her similar age actresses Ivy Chen and Amber Kuo. But I loved her acting in DS. It was worth checking out that drama just to enjoy her act.
I don’t agree with you about James Wen. This man got my attention when I saw him in his cameo role in this drama with Vaness and Ady An. I remember he played Ady’s’father
Do u mean autumn’s concerto? i think he was in the drama for about less than five minutes. But I think James wen was a good actor in P.S Man.
Yes Autumn concerto. It was a cameo role but I remember his features when he acted with “his little daughter there” 🙂
Chris Wu is too good of an actor to be considered a 2nd lead. He totally needs better roles. It would be so weird if he ever did mainland dramas.
Why would it be weird if he did mainland dramas?
Because mainland does a lot of wuxia and period dramas, which he wouldn’t look right in. Also they do a lot of serious acting and Chris Wu is better at funny and unserious roles.
Oh gosh, another 4-5 ep of MR, what a drag & agony that SY & ck have to face. Gosh dawn it!!!!
What is SETTV thinking in having JW as a lead instead of CW? NH is too young for JW; choke! JW is too old for NH; they won’t be good OTP. I’m sorry but there is something in JW that just can’t give me a click. He is really turned me off like burning fire got shut off by cold water.
Chris Wu did an amazing job in autumn concerto and he was totally different in other dramas.James wen is just blah for me .yes he s good but i don t feel the spark
I LOVE JAMES WEN :3 HE’S CUTE AS <3 but i LOVE CHRIS WU TOOO YAY <3 this drama is going to be eyecandy <3 haven't heard of nikki hsieh though, maybe because i don't watch movies.
When you talk about James Wen…what pop in my head is Wen Hair Care Products by Chaz Dean, celebrity hair stylist, who has single-handedly transformed the beauty industry with the wildly successful WEN Hair & Body Care.
ah man.. I just finished watching the Princess Stand in episode 11 and since from the beginning they showed Chris Wu, I thought he was the leading man. 🙁 Now I’m super sad he’s not! I only watch the episodes through viki. Now I dunno if i still want to watch the next episodes now that I found out he’s only the second lead. Ugh.. the 11th episode made me cry when Chris let the girl go.. aaaah.. I’m so disappointed 🙁
Chris Wu did get the girl in Replacement Princess. And he probably had equal screen time, if not more, than James Wen. It’s almost hard to tell who was the 1st male lead.
Can’t believe I came back to this thread again to comment! 🙂
Anyway, when I watched Substitute Princess, I agreed with Ockoala, and I didn’t understand why James Wen was the main lead. He was so bland in this drama. Then I watched My Queen (still watching), and wow, James is such a great actor! He has so much expressions and depth on his face. A lot of actors (Ming Dao comes to mind) have very limited expressions whether they are happy or sad. But James, you can totally tell he is a veteran.I am really enjoying My Queen.