Pairing Talk: Westside Story

Westside Story has some possible pairings going on. I'd like to think of a not-so-intense love triangle between Xing Wang, Ya Yu, and Yu Li. There's also a possible love triangle between Shin Ho, Yu Li, and Xing Wang. In the Tagalog dub done by ABS-CBN, you may remember them as Warren, Adrian, Jayme, and Joanne - names I'd like to ditch after watching more of the original Chinese audio.

I thought of the love triangle scene. I think of the scene where Xing Wang becomes different types of people and stalks Yu Li. There's the subplot that made everyone think that Ya Yu had accidental incest with Yu Li (suggesting that they were paternal half-siblings) but it was later disproven. Xing Wang knows the real truth but lies to Yu Li about Ya Yu's father. Jealousy much? Xing Wang isn't too happy with Shin He because she's prostituting herself to feed her siblings. This moral grayness in the story is similar to The Outsiders which came a year later. Funny how Esther Liu and Ady An would later be in Chinese Paladin.

Ya Yu is the genetic product between a flimsy teenage woman and his real father (Ti Wu Cheng) who comes later. At first, we think Dr. Lan (Yu Li's father) is his father but it's revealed not to be him. I think his tenacity here is better than what Yu Hao had in The Outsiders. He becomes the rival of Xin Wang. He's not the ideal guy because he's obviously a gangster - except he's the show's protagonist and an anti-hero. He's attracted to Yu Li's tiger spirit too. However, he thinks Yu Li is his younger paternal half-sister until his real father is revealed later on. A messy situation considering that Ya Yu has a half-brother Ya Wa coming from a different, unidentified father. Oh boy, one has to admit their common mother Lan Lan is one messy woman!

Xing Wang seems to represent Wallace Huo's problem when he's cast into the role of the other guy. Do you remember how At the Dolphin Bay had a love triangle between him and Ambrose Hsu for Angela Zhang? Said show also promoted Westside Story with the 5566 guest-starring as themselves. Wallace lost to Ambrose because by default - he shouldn't get the girl. Back then, I was already vying for Ambrose (or Xe Ya in Dolphin Bay) because he was a much better pair for Tian Bian. Wallace's character Xiao Gang wasn't the ideal man. Though in Westside - I think of Xing Wang as the ideal man for Yu Li. Xing Wang is a bored 18-year-old Gary Stu - the almost perfect guy. He has parental issues considering his mother committed suicide due to an extramarital affair and a cold father. Him lying to Yu Li about Ya Yu's father though is something. I don't blame him because who can't help but lust after Yu Li?

How can love triangles be developed into a messy polygon? You can have Ya Yu and Xing Wang who are both in love with Yu Li. Then you can have Shin He likes Xing Wang but Xing Wang likes Yu Li. I think more about why I even shipped Xing Wang x Yu Li but only because the two looked good together. Other than that, Xing Wang would make the ideal husband for Yu Li. I always disliked the whole idea of Xing Wang having Shin He. I think Shin He should've been given more development to find a decent job along the way. I also didn't like Ya Yu x Yu Li for the same reason I didn't like Yu Hao x Yu Yan (preferring Li Jie x Yu Yan) in The Outsiders. Ya Yu is obviously a guy you should avoid yet he provides heroic characteristics.

Did you have any pairings going on while you watched the show?

"Light The Night's" Finale (Spoilers Ahead)

SpikyTV I guess the series just kept us guessing, right? I finally got the chance to finish it after some busy nights. I was right that the killer was HANA (Esther Liu) BUT there's a twist - it was more of voluntary manslaughter than murder. Manslaughter is when one kills out of the heat of passion and that's what Hana did twice in the story. Hana had one against a client who used her and another against Sue after some unfortunate insanity attack. Hana ends up planning to hand herself over but her lover commits murder (towards a character named Chiang An) to protect her. The whole psychological thriller for me just didn't match up to what I wanted. I guess I was too used to how Victim's Game rolled out. I was expecting some real murder scheme. Instead, it was the anti-climatic manslaughter where Hana decides to hand herself to the authorities after what she did. I really still think that the finale wasn't worth too much of the wait. I was expecting something gran

I Just Finished "My Golden Life"

I finally finished My Golden Life which I was hesitant to watch. 52 one-hour long episodes? I was thinking it was easier to watch the Wuxia series that had 40+ minutes per episode such as Princess Weiyang which was quite long. A lot of episodes of My Golden Life would have a few minutes more depending on the coverage of the episode. So, I'm done and I never thought I'd actually finish it since I'm way too used to short K-Dramas. This one was rather long but it was rather entertaining in many ways. I was thinking about how Shin Hye Sun actually did well with on-screen partner Park Si Hoo. Sometimes, I'd like to joke about how they had a chemistry that looked good and felt good. Looked good? Both aren't attractive and I often joke how Hye Sun's face feels melted or how she was rightfully matched with Lee Jong Suk in Hymn of Death . Hye Sun isn't pretty but she really makes up with her good acting and likability. The same goes for Si Hoo with how he acts out hi

Just Finished "My Glamorous Imperial Concubine" (Some Spoilers)

This is another Wuxia series finished. I was having some expectations broken. The show can be full of spoilers when discussed even further. In fact, some characters are walking spoilers. If you're not ready to be spoiled - DON'T READ. If not, you can read further. I feel the show had some plot twists and turns. Besides, maybe some of the villains in this show weren't as evil as you think. Emperor Liancheng is an antagonist but dies before the show can end. Liancheng may have some idiotic obsession with Ma Fuya. It becomes even worse when Liancheng's younger sister Liansi and his younger brother Lianxi get involved. Liansi develops a crush on Meng Qiyou and even gets pregnant in the process. It seems that Ma Fuya was pregnant with Liancheng's baby but ends up in Qiyou's household after Liancheng dies. Liancheng dies doing a selfless act to save Ma Fuya. The obsessive empress Ma Xiangyun commits suicide to kill Emperor Liancheng. Emperor Liancheng's quite a

Sean Akizuki's East Asian Drama and Movie Blog

Search This Blog