Meteor Garden (2018) may have better visuals, better definition (especially we're now in High Definition) but newer doesn't always mean better. Sure, I could enjoy a couple of newer drama right now but I always have some problem with some remakes. Well, the Meteor Garden I enjoyed was last 2001 that means 17 years has passed -- so having a new Meteor Garden for a new generation of teenagers is understandable. I feel like it's probably just a generation gap but I think it has something to do with the acting. Yup, I'm looking at both Jerry Yan and Dylan Wang!
I started watching the first few episodes and I think one of my complaints hits Wang! Yes, him! Aside from Shen Yue who's probably better off acting as Akiko in Kamen Rider W -- I think it's all about Wang himself. Sure, he does have the good looks required to play the character but the big problem is his acting is really pale. So why did he even lad in the role of leading man in the first place? It really boggles my mind to how it really happened!
I started watching the first few episodes and I think one of my complaints hits Wang! Yes, him! Aside from Shen Yue who's probably better off acting as Akiko in Kamen Rider W -- I think it's all about Wang himself. Sure, he does have the good looks required to play the character but the big problem is his acting is really pale. So why did he even lad in the role of leading man in the first place? It really boggles my mind to how it really happened!
Tsukasa Doumyoji is supposed to be a very complex character. He's a mean guy with a soft side. He's a jerk who's still got a heart of gold buried within. I could remember the Tiger Mask analogy in the live version of Hana Yori Dango. If any actor nailed it the best it was Jerry Yan! Yup, I dare say it that Jun Matsumoto just couldn't nail it. Lee Min Ho may be a popular actor in K-Drama but he still couldn't nail it. Only Yan managed to nail it so well that 17 years later -- Wang still didn't nail it! It's really something how Yan's performance is so good that it sets a high bar to said character!
This is how I want to compare the problem of a bland version succeeding a rather good version. I remembered how I watched Romance in the Rain from both 2001 and 1986 -- a total of 15 years gap! Right now, Meteor Garden (2001) and Meteor Garden (2018) has a total of 17 years gap! I remembered how often I criticized Leo Ku's lack of performance of He Shu Huan in contrast to Chin Han's debonair acting. Yan seems to have a similar effect to Chin Han -- they are both debonair actors who aged rather slowly, known for their good looks and they can capture the hearts of the audience. Chin Han's Shu Huan overshadows Ku's Shu Huan. Now Yan's Doumyoji overshadows Wang's Doumyoji!
It's all about acting quality if you ask me!
True and well said
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