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Shen Yue's Tsukushi Makino Doesn't Hold A Candle To Barbie Xu-Wang's Tsukushi Makino

Yesterday, I just wrote my personal opinion on Jerry Yan vs. Dylan Wang -- now it's time for me to write on Barbie Xu-Wang. Okay, she's already entered the 40s zone -- which would make her more suitable to act in motherly roles now. I just thought about how I often compared Barbie to Taiwanese actress Leanne Liu. Who can remember Liu's performance in Romance in the Rain (1986) and how her performance was that good? I even agree that Vicki Zhao-Huang's performance as Yi Ping in Romance in the Rain (2001) doesn't hold to Liu's performance.

So what's with Wang's performance that makes her well, better? I could imagine the scenes where you needed badly needed intensity. Shen Yue's performance is so-so. Sure, she'd probably make a good Akiko for Kamen Rider W or in fact, she's probably better off acting in any Chinese attempt (such as Armor Hero) to make their own Japanese-inspired Toku (as an ally) than playing a more complex character. But Makino Tsukushi is supposed to be a tough-grass character! She's supposedly a wild weed you can't trample down!

So how far has Wang's performance gone against the others? I remembered watching Hana Yori Dango's live Japanese adaptation and I still think Mao Inoue pales to Wang's performance. Need I mention how miles better Wang was against Ku Hye Sun? I guess her performance is just THAT GOOD that it's unique. Her rather strong performance is pretty much like Liu -- a very strong performance that's so convincing that she overshadows others who step into the role! I still couldn't get over how both Liu and Wang both have that panther spirit -- which was another reason why I wished Wang were Yi Ping in the 2001 version of Romance in the Rain aside from my wish that Yan acted as Shu Huan instead of Leo Ku. 

For me, it'd probably take more time before I could warm up to the remake. Then again, aren't we in the decade of bland remakes? Meteor Garden (2018), Beauty and the Beast (2017) and the super duper fiasco Power Rangers (2017) may be proof we're in a decade of bland remakes. For me, I'd probably rewatch Meteor Garden (2001) all over again though I'd rather try to watch Strong Girl Bong Sun (which was last year) or any new school shows that'd get my interest. 

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