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The Romances in Romance in the Rain Analyzed

Romance in the Rain aside from karmic retribution, also had its romances.  So let's analyze the love stories involved:

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The four major players- Shuhuan, best friend Dufei and half-sisters Yiping and Ruping.  I was thinking of how it went.  Two half-sisters repeat their mothers' rivalry over a man to which Shuhuan becomes the man.  Ruping likes Shuhuan, Yiping wanted to date Shuhuan for revenge but it becomes a genuine relationship.

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The relationship of Shuhuan and Yiping is too kiss/slap/kiss at times.  Leo Ku's version of Shuhuan is more tame than to that of Qin Han's who would sometimes carry Yiping by force but lacks the charm of of the older version.  But whether it was 1986 or 2001, both versions really goes to make you say, "Shouldn't they just break up already?"  I mean, the relationship whether it was 1986 or 2001 just spins around in circles.  The more I watch the series, the more I seldom think it's better that they don't end up together like in the novel where Shuhuan requested for a breakup after Ruping's suicide.  However having Shuhuan and Yiping together is much better than Ruping killing herself.

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Compared to the 1986 version (and hey I'm not familiar at all with the 1986 cast members except Qin Han and Liu Xue Hua), the 2001 version presents a much different picture.  Dufei is an occasional comic relief compared to 1986.  Also you might consider the fact that Dufei is arguably stupid, at times Ruping gets manipulative (at times but she struggles with it) compared to her novel version of being dull and boring.  Unlike the 1986 version that ended so tragic for Ruping as she killed herself like the book, the 2001 version had Ruping realize she belonged to Dufei though the two were never seen going back together for the finale.  So did Alec Su and Ruby Lin have something else to do?  I did feel bad for Dufei in the 1986 version after Ruping foolishly ended her life.


Erhao, Fangyu and Keyun- In the past, Erhao had a genuine affection for Keyun but his scheming witch mom Xueqin didn't want Erhao to marry Keyun because she was a house servant.  Which of course, Erhao had no idea he got Keyun preggers which when this was unveiled, his relationship with Fangyu was disrupted.  It was also something to think that for his older perhaps by just a year half-sister Yiping, he tries to make peace.  Which in this one, Yiping thinks Erhao is just a heartless person but in the end, things worked out.  Which also included Keyun's return to reality.  Both versions 1986 and 2001 were basically the same.


And of course Zhenhua.  After he died in the 2001 version, Adjutant Li revealed the whole story of Zhenhua's tragedy.  He had a genuine relationship with an official's daughter who was named Pingping but she died from suicide while he was away.  Pingping killed herself to escape an arranged marriage which drove Zhenhua crazy and started marrying and divorcing up to eight women who resembled Pingping.  During his eighth marriage, he had a daughter named Xingping who resembled his first love the most and another Yiping.  Which at this one, ironically Wenpei remains faithful to her ex-husband while Xueqin the current wife cheats on Zhenhua with Guangxiong which was pretty karmic.  The love story between Zhenhua and Pingping was pretty heartbreaking whether it was Zhenhua's narration in 1986 or the 2001 version.  However it just didn't justify his marrying and divorcing women who all resembled Pingping.  I thought Zhenhua's death in the 2001 version in battle added more impact than his dying of sickness in the hospital in the 1986 version.

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