I still remember the time when this novel was popular, but it feels like so long ago I’m not sure the audience is out there for another adaptation. There is a movie version of Summer’s Desire (泡沫之夏) coming along, produced by HK star Gigi Leung and starring a bunch of fresher faced young stars. Many folks may remember the 2010 drama version starring Barbie Hsu (Da S), Peter Ho, and Huang Xiaoming, which was all sorts of turgid to watch and weirdly miscast for me, with Peter looking rapey and/or constipated, Huang Xiaoming sleazy as all out, and Da S giving off morose pissy vibes the entire way.
The original story is not my favorite but the drama version basically amped up every glaring flaw about it with the dysfunctional relationships and unlikable characters. Doesn’t help that I prefer second male lead Luo Xi over stalker pants male lead Ou Chen, but then again, am not a fan of female lead Xia Mo so maybe it doesn’t matter that she totally picked the wrong guy at the end of the story. This time around, at least the cast is closer to the age of the story leads, with newbie actress Huang Chan Chan as Xia Mo, HK-actor Him Law as Ou Chen, and cute C-actor Yen Yu Hao as Luo Xi. Once again, so rooting for Luo Xi here.
The Chinese adaption was a DISASTER (for me anyway), I loved the books because I was a lil dweeb back then with my 15 year old crushes on fictional boys but UGHHHH the drama drove me nuts! I really wished Huang Xiao Ming was casted as Ou Chen instead, but Peter Ho did and he just looked so angry and constipated the whole time. It was so terrible it made me forget about the whole series for awhile. One comparison my friend made was that Pao Mo Zhi Xia is basically like the Chinese version of Twilight, dysfunctional to the max.
I still remember before the adaption the author didn’t want the book to be made into a drama because it was very close to her heart. Peter Ho actually went to her house everyday begging to be given the rights to make the drama adaption. Everyone was so against him being Ou Chen because he just didn’t fit the image. Well in the end the author relented and she even had to publish a post online defending Peter Ho in his casting/adaption of the drama, because the backlash was that bad.
The authors works have gotten a bit better, but all the drama adaptions of her work aren’t that great unfortunately.
Sometimes for Chinese novles I just like looking at the art and forgetting the story altogether, this saves alot of angst and time.
Remembering watch part of that drama and I could not finish it, because it got so ANNOYING.
I remember watching it for Barbie Tsu and your description of the drama and the whole cast performance is spot on. Its a total disaster.
Well, it won’t be Him Him’s first time at a supposedly-romantic-but-actually-stalkerish role so at least he’s gotten that pat down. Hur.
Never seen/heard of the other two but the girl’s giving me major Ivy Chen vibes.
I actually enjoyed the TV adaptation. Could be because I had never read the novel and had no idea how the characters were supposed to be. Ou Chen was actually the only character I liked in the whole series 😀 Luo Xi was kind of sissy and slimey so I disliked that character from the start. I would’ve probably had to recuperate for a few months had he gotten Xia Mo. Btw in Peter Ho’s defense, he offered the role of Ou Chen to HX first
Yeah same here. I’ve never read the novel. So I had no idea how close the TV adaptation was to the original version. But in terms of acting, Ou Chen was the only character I liked in the drama and I didn’t get it why he was so obsessed with the girl played by “Big S”. Big S didn’t really look so fatally charming during post-high school era. Not to mention Lou Xi. His character and expressions just looked so pathetic and detestable to me. That’s my prejudice.
Read the novel and I much preferred Ou Chen to Luo Xi. But tbh the novel is so screwed up I don’t get why it’s popular and why they are adapting it over and over again.
Also, Him Law is an bigger miscast.
I actually read this as “Fresh Faced Young CATS Start Filming C-movie Adaptation of Popular Romance Novel Summer’s Desire”.
For one short glorious moment I thought they were making a kitty version of Summer’s Desire :))) oh maaan, I need to rest…
I only watched the drama and didn’t read the novel, it angered me so much. I thought Luo Xi was the male lead for the longest time LOL. They broke up in such a stupid way and never got the chance to talk about it (as far as I remember) and then the lead girl got zombified.
Huang Chan Chan kinda reminds me of Ivy Chen!