Sean Akizuki's East Asian Drama and Movie Blog

Crime dramas can be rather addictive. I remember watching Copycat Killer ,  Victim's Game , and Regeneration . This time, I felt like watching Million Follower Detective -- a crime drama that explores the generation gaps. Ekin Cheng, who's currently 58 YEARS OLD, plays a father (named Chen Chia-jen) with an estranged daughter named Chen Chia-jen (played by Buffy Chen). This one presents generational gaps given that Buffy is born in 2000 and Ekin is 58 years old -- playing the father/daughter team. Buffy is estranged from her father. The series involves the mysterious character Witch Baba. Witch Baba is a mysterious influencer who could apparently foretell the future. However, behind Witch Baba's predictions is actually a series of deceptions. The recurring villain is Kuo Ta-fu, a doctor who is bitter about life. Ta-fu is someone who forces Witch Baba to read the predictions. Ta-fu is also an insane vigilante. Why does Ta-fu hate influencers so much? However, behind i...

Sorry that I'm "out of date" with the Kamen Rider reviews. Yep, I'm probably still in hangover mode or that there's so much that Netflix has to offer. I decided to check out this fantasy series called The Seven Relics of Ill Omen . This series is a live adaptation by the female web novelist Wei Yu. This writing revolves around Chinese exorcism drama and science fiction. These relics contain a dangerous parasitic lifeform in each and every one of them. They crashed at the Fengzi Ridge where they found them. The Phoenix Squad was formed as a five-man squad (think of it like Super Sentai ). We have our important characters, namely: Mu Dai (Liu Haocun), who is the main character. She is a capable young woman who does the puzzle-solving. Much of her life is a Walking Spoiler, so please watch the film first. She has her schizophrenia going on. Luo Ren (Song Weilong) is the leading man and the male protagonist. He's the field leader but Mu Dai is the overall focus. H...

It's time for another random review. This time, I finished the Xianxia series,  Blossoming Love . The Chinese title is 千朵桃花一世开 — (Qiān duǒ táohuā yīshì kāi) meaning  A Thousand Peach Blossoms Bloom in a Lifetime .  In this case, I was kind of stressed so I ended up watching a show for the eye candy. Yes, Sun Zhenni is really super pretty in this one. The last time I saw Zhenni was in the series was in Love and Redemption as a gumiho, and she's really pretty. I ended up watching a Xianxia TV series that had a complicated plot about lovers caught in several cycles of reincarnation over  10,000 YEARS. Yes, talk about how much more complicated an Xianxia is compared to a Wuxia in terms of time jumps !  The story of the two lovers is complicated by the passage of 10,000 years and their immortality. The main character is Xie Xuechan (acted by Vin Zhang), who used to be Emperor Zhao Ming. Xuechan is the leader of the Immortal Alliance. Mu Xianling (Zhenni) is the ...

Chen Dao Lee   For a Throwback Thursday Post, I want to review the late Barbie Xu's memorial. Barbie eventually filed for divorce and married DJ Koo, who was her former love flame, and sadly, she passed away too soon after enduring an abusive marriage with her ex-husband. The unveiling of Barbie's rather Manga-esque statue that resembled Makino Tsukushi from Hana Yori Dango felt appropriate. It was because Barbie's acting career was launched by Meteor Garden  -- she was TSUKUSHI MAKINO. IMHO, she was the best Tsukushi to be done in live action! Almost everyone in Meteor Garden resembled their Anime/Manga counterparts one way or another! It was a rainy day indeed (and honestly, Barbie's close friend Rainie Yang showed up, no pun intended) together with her two co-stars Jerry Yan and Vic Zhou. Who could remember the love triangle in Meteor Garden that was actually drawn into a love rollercoaster? The Daoming Si vs. Huatze Lei love triangle for Dong Shan Cai was one of tho...

Is it me or do I just enjoy beating up Disney live-action remakes? If The Female General was actually one Hua Mulan inspired story, then so is Love in the Clouds . However, Love in the Clouds reminds me of how Disney's Mulan (2020) remake was basically a Mary Sue. However, Love in the Clouds is a slow build a classic switcheroo (where a mother swaps places with a child that's not hers) for her own convenience. Empress Ce (Zhang Ting) executes the perfect switcheroo. In fact, things aren't like what they are supposed to be.  The main heroine Ming Yi (Lu Yu Xiao) poses as the Prince Ming Xian. It's pretty much Hua Mulan except it's not in the army. The big issue is with the tournament of the six realms. Think Mortal Kombat without the violent "Fatalities!" Ji Bozai (Hou Ming Hao) has a dark secret past, where he is the Aladdin. Ji Bozai is the diamond in the rough as he grew up in the Jixing Abyss. Bozai later discovers some dark secrets and decides, "W...

You can never kill heroisms, and not all heroes/heroines are martyred. For Filipinos, the first person to come to their minds is Jose Rizal. For Chinoys, perhaps they also think of both Rizal and Anita Mui. Such is the case of the late Anita, who died from cervical cancer complications on December 30, 2003. Anita was only 40 years old when she died. However, Anita's legacy lives on. It's so sad how four years after she died, the BS biopic called Anita Mui Fei was released. Thankfully, I didn't get the chance to watch Anita Mui Fei,  especially with how it portrayed that Anita died on stage in Andy Lau's arms. THAT. NEVER. HAPPENED. The Anita (2021) film was released. What was sanitized was the reality of Anita's bitter childhood . I read through the biographies of both the late Teresa Teng (who died in 1995) and Regine Velasquez-Alcasid -- both of whom came from poor families but had supportive mothers. Anita's mother was actually a CHRONIC GAMBLER.  Anita didn...

I remember watching Anita   (2021) on Disney+ . I had my complaints about how Louise Wong's impersonations of Anita's concert scenes were BLAH ! I discovered a real Mainland China production that was even worse -- it was called Mei Yan Fang Fei in 2007. Anita (2021) created a fictionalized relationship for the late Anita Mui named Goto Yuki. The other one presented a scene where she and Andy Lau supposedly had a romance. However, that's far from reality! Both projects made me wish for a near perfect Anita biopic -- making me imagine if Mei Yan Fang Fei ,   last 2007, was a Taiwanese production. It would've probably tried to stay true like Le Grande Chaumierre Violette  -- perhaps even take notes of Anita's interview about her toxic mother and brothers. I reimagined what if Anita Mui Fei wasn't a Mainland production but a Taiwanese production. They might reduce the budget or the number of episodes. I imagined this what-if scenario, where a faithful retelling of...

I've been shifting my focus to Korean entertainment lately. However, I'd like to recall my moments with Chinese entertainment, whether it came from the People's Republic of China (PRC), Taiwan (also known as the Republic of China or ROC), or Hong Kong. I grew up hating my Chinese heritage, since I was more into the AMERICAN SUPERIORITY MENTALITY for some time. I hated my Chinese heritage. Well, who wouldn't if one had boomer parents who were still stuck like they were still in China -- THINK OF A CHINOY VERSION OF THE JOY LUCK CLUB ! I could recall my late paternal grandmother, who would rent Chinese movies via Betamax . I couldn't remember the name of the store anymore -- the rental shop already closed years ago! I didn't give an F*** about Chinese entertainment back then. I didn't like studying Chinese either -- well, blame the Chinese schools in the Philippines that taught Chinese through rote overload! It didn't help that there was the rather ridicu...

I thought I was about to see a Hua Mulan adaptation. Instead, The Female General (锦月如歌, Jǐn yuè rú gē) is another fictional female general named He Yan (Zhou Ye). The story doesn't explicitly follow the Hua Mulan story. It's not about the invading Rourans. Instead, it's a story that your family can be your own worst enemy -- such as when He Rufei is a snake in the grass. He Yan disguises herself as her older brother He Rufei -- something that's actually MORE TRAGIC than Mulan's story. The love interest (and General Shang equivalent) is Xiao Jue (Cheng Lei). What I found kinda stupid is the way that Xiao Jue discovered Yan's true gender. The hot spring incident is directly taken from the Mulan (2009) movie. I even wonder if by any chance did Jue end up touching Yan's private part? Okay, that's kinda gross but it could've happened. Some people discover that Yan is actually a WOMAN as the show goes on. Jue's nobility is kept as he refuses to exploit...

I became a fan of several old-time singers -- some of them were even DEAD. I could talk about how F4 led me to appreciate the late Teresa Teng's music. It's bizarre to think that the late Barbie Xu's ashes are now in Chin Pao San Cemetery -- the same place of Teresa's burial. It would be strange that I only started listening to Anita Mui's music after she DIED. F4 and Jolin Tsai were often the talk in the 2000s. In my case, Jolin was once called Britney Spears, then she was called an Asian Madonna, presumably so short after Anita passed away. One can think that a biographical series Mui Yim Fong Fei (2007)  was released a few years after Anita died -- something that I never knew existed. I tried watching Anita (2021) as a mini-series on Disney+.  I found myself and now I'll confess, I actually bashed Louisse Wong trying to do the song numbers. Sure, Louisse delivered the minimum needed for the other parts -- I found myself wanting to shoot the television screen ...

It can be realized that my reviews reflect a casual fan of just about anything. I watched Story of Pearl Girl but didn't write a review immediately. So sorry in advance to all the readers! The story is with Zhao Lusi (who I first saw in Who Rules the World alongside Yang Yang). Lusi plays the role of Duanwu/Su Muzhe (both one character) -- a woman who escapes the brutal conditions of an exploitative pearl farm. The Cai family of merchants get involved in dirty money -- using cheap slave labor and selling pearls at what may be ridiculous prices.  The romance may seem forced for some. How could the leading guy Yan Ziying (Liu Yuning) have the time for romance? I didn't mind that part too much. It was interesting to see the family feuds -- especially with the Cai Family. Yu Shi (Tang Xiao Tian) is the secondary love interest -- even if he's the one with whom Duanwu (as Muzhe) does business with. Is it me or do bad boys tend to become more attractive? Muzhe's actually too s...

Asian Drama News   Xu (or alternatively spelled as Hsu) can be spelled the same in English but mean different in Chinese! Why? Some people thought that the late Beatrice Xu shared the same surname. However, if one knew basic Chinese -- certain characters may be spelled nearly the same in English but NOT the same in Chinese characters. Yes, Chinese can be a confusing language! It's good that encoding in Chinese with a standard keyboard is now easier thanks to Pinyin. One no longer needs to learn another alphabet to master Chinese. However, you need to learn Pinyin first and its different tones! The late Barbie Xu and the late Mary Hsu share the same Chinese character. The Xu in Barbie Xu and Mary Xu is spelled out as 徐 (Xú) -- which is Shui in Hokkien. However, Beatrice's surname is spelled out as 许 (Xǔ) which is Co in Hokkien. Notice the accents too. Chinese is a tonal language similar to Tagalog. The Xú would be similar to the mabilis tone in Tagalog. Meanwhile, the Xǔ t...

  Was it too sudden or was it not too sudden? Barbie Xu (or Hsu in Taiwanese Pinyin) died during the Chinese New Year cycle. What's verified is that she had a history of epilepsy and heart problems .  Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu's passing at age 48 due to pneumonia from influenza complications sparked conversation online regarding the Taiwanese star's past health battles. Barbie was known to have a heart disease called mitral valve prolapse, as well as epilepsy. Focus Taiwan reported Barbie once opened up during an interview that she had "a history of mitral valve prolapse and epilepsy," and that she "nearly died from a seizure" during the birth of her son in 2016. In late January 2025, Barbie and her family, including younger sister Dee Hsu, flew to Japan for vacation. Barbie caught the flu (influenza) and was hospitalized, but her condition progressed into pneumonia that led to her death. Dee confirmed her passing on February 3 through a statement rel...

It should be sad that one of Taiwan's most prolific writers ENDED HER LIFE -- not died of old age! Qiong Yao was 86 years old. I was shocked to read this news from Channel News Asia : Well-known Taiwanese romance novelist Chiung Yao has died at the age of 86 in an apparent suicide. The local fire department said on Wednesday (Dec 4) that Chiung was found dead in her home in New Taipei City. Her son said she had left a note instructing her secretary to check on her at noon, news outlet TVBS reported. Despite the secretary calling for an ambulance immediately after discovering her body, Chiung was pronounced dead at the scene. My first exposure to her works was the 2000s drama Romance in the Rain . This was the entry point where I'd also learn of the 1986 version starring Chin Han and Leanne Liu. Leanne's version of Lu Yiping had a stronger impact. Leanne made me wish Barbie Xu were Yiping in 2001. Chin Han made me wish Jerry Yan were He Shuhuan. YouTube also provided a porta...

What's on Netflix There was the first Victims' Game where the crew dealt with a secret death cult . I wouldn't be giving out spoilers since the real antagonist -- like in the first season -- is a Walking Spoiler. The first season was released during the Legacy Virus pandemic last April 2020. It kept me entertained after watching some Korean crime drama before the Legacy Virus took over the world. It was nice to have the original cast such as Joseph Chang (Zhang Xiaoquan) returning as his Fang Yijen and Tiffany Ann Hsu returning as Hsu Haiyin (the surname is spelled as Xu in Mainland Pinyin, take note this is Taiwanese Chinese). The first season investigated a death cult where the culprit turned herself in. The second season involves the gruesome deaths of people from an incident 15 years ago. A vengeful person is out there and they don't know who it is. I'll avoid spoiling the antagonist's identity but I'll give some minor spoilers. The antagonist gets so in...

Right now, I want to re-explore Chinese drama whether it be from the People's Republic of China or the Republic of China (Taiwan). I watched a few Taiwanese Chinese crime dramas such as Copycat Killer   (based on a Japanese suspense novel) and Victim's Game . These dramas aren't for the weak-hearted. They may not be as gory as American mature series but there's still generous amounts of blood. I may cringe at torture scenes and THANKFULLY we don't get to see that. However, I do love a good investigation drama not ever since I watched the documentary Give Up Tomorrow . It's as long as Copycat Killer which was worth 10 episodes. To avoid leaking out spoilers -- there's a certain person who only goes by the identity of Fei Ke. Okay, it's really a pun considering Fei Ke sounds TOO SIMILAR to Fake. Fei Ke apparently died but they discovered there was no body. Female journalist He Shan (Zhou Yiran) meets with five other strangers. The five other strangers are ...

Chinese romance drama can be stereotyped as overly sentimental -- whether the entries are from China or Taiwan. I remember my late paternal grandmother borrowing those sappy Chinese dramas such as those written by Qiong Yao. There's even that black car and the rain. However, watching Amidst a Snowstorm of Love - I confess that the show focuses more on romance without those moments from stories by Qiong Yao.  I found t his interesting reason to watch the drama from Soompi:  “Amidst a Snowstorm of Love” is an uncomplicated narrative of love and second chances. There are no unnecessary subplots, neither are there scheming troublemakers, wrecking havoc or creating misunderstandings. The story does not shift focus from Lin Yi Yang and Yin Guo and their journey. Yi Yang is well aware that he has to undo the mistakes he has made, which had a lot to do with his own inflexible attitude. He may be calmer and restrained, but he realizes it is difficult to break perceptions, especially w...

  It's been some time since I watched a Chinese drama. I was planning to watch another crazy martial arts-themed drama. However, watching a typical love story would be a nice break. Sure, I'm also watching Midnight Photo Studio . However, I was intrigued by the unique filming of Amidst a Snowstorm.  The drama's opening starts in Helsinki, Finland. I was expecting the love team of Leo Wu and Zhao Jinmai to go to China after one episode. Instead, I'm already in the tens and we're still in FINLAND with all the white people. I did some Googling and I can expect to "fly to France" before everything wraps up in CHINA. The Chinese title is 在暴雪时分 (Zài bàoxuě shífēn) literally meaning "Amidst the Snowstorm". Speaking of which, 时分 (shífēn) means "hour and minute". There's also the Chinese song "梦醒时分" (Mèng xǐng shífēn) meaning "Awakening from a Dream". Could the literal context and meaning be "Awakening from a Snowsto...

Sure, Halloween is OVER but I decided to finish watching this Manga-style Anime anyway. I still thank Japan for actually creating Manga and Anime. I still think Chinese entertainment, Taiwanese entertainment, and South Korean entertainment learned a lot from Japan. A shame really that Japan tries to be more exclusive than not. I watched through Devil Punisher which is actually 天巡者 (Tiān xún zhě) or Skywatcher . I don't exactly get what's with the international distribution vs. the localized titles. I guess the title Devil's Punisher is a lot more appealing to Western audiences. The international title is cooler actually than the real title. It's like I prefer to call Rockman by his international distribution title namely MEGAMAN. It's a crazy twist on Chinese mythology. This is the love story of Zhong Kui (Mike He) and Lady Meng (Ivy Shao). The two are Taoist saints who ended up as humans after some unfortunate incident in the afterlife. Lady Meng (also known as Xin...

I didn't expect myself to be too captivated by the performance of Uyghur actress, Dilraba Dilmurat. Her name's obviously not Chinese and she's from an ethnic minority. I tend to joke how Dilraba, not Naomi Scott, should've played Princess Jasmine in the Aladdin movie. I tend to joke Naomi herself should've been playing the Goddess Guanyin in Journey to the West instead. I always thought of Dilraba as an, "She can do it, she's fine." actress. It's pretty much how I treat some South Korean celebrities who can act but can't act that well. I think Dilraba still did a good job overall in her role as Di Ziyuan who later calls herself Ren Anle. I wonder if having sole survivors of a family is really a cliche in Wuxia drama. The last I remembered that was in the show Princess Weiyoung . Ziyuan was the sole survivor of a wrongful accusation. Like WTF was the emperor thinking of an entire family out of spite rather than just finding the culprit? Yeah, yo...