Sean Akizuki's East Asian Drama and Movie Blog

While watching Romance in the Rain (2001 version) and the 1986 version, I really could raise the issue of NOT ENOUGH CHEMISTRY. I did learn that Qin Han and Liu Xue Hua were the leading stars of "After Many Sunsets", "Romance in the Rain", "Seagull's Home", "The Unforgettable Character", "Courtyard" and "Red Love". That was six whopping series where the chemistry stood out. Now it's time to discuss my bigger problem on the chemistry with Leo Ku and Vicki Zhao. I'm a fan of Vicki Zhao but I really have all the trouble in the world adjusting to Leo Ku's performance as Shu Huan. Just seeing him as Shu Huan was not my type. Sure the show got some awards and Vicki deserved them. But Leo Ku? I really couldn't help but poke at him too much with his role as Shuhuan. After seeing the 1986 version, I really have to say that as much as I prefer most of the cast of the 2001 version but there was really a serious...

One song that was used for both the 1986 version and the 2001 version of "Romance In The Rain" was the song "The Unforgettable Past".  The Mandarin title is "Wang She Nan Wang" which was based on an oldies song called "Long Long Ago" which was written in 1883 by Thomas Haynes Bayley.  The translation of the lyrics is as follows: Can you remember when we first met in that late March? The unforgettable past, the unforgettable past We were leaning against each other in the light breeze and sweet scent of flowers The unforgettable past, I could not forget I like the way you sing me those old songs again   The unforgettable past, the unforgettable past And it is so sweet of you to tell me those old stories The unforgettable past, I could not forget Now that you have come back, I will not be sad anymore The unforgettable past, the unforgettable past I will forget how you had left me behind and wandered alone for so long  The unforgetta...

Karma hits hard doesn't it?  Lu Zhenhua married and divorced eight women, he married a woman young enough to be his daughter namely Wang Xueqin.  How did this karma work?  Although it wasn't the main focus but I thought this was a plot driver in the whole series.  Both the 1986 and 2001 version kept the affair, although both had slight variations. In both the 2001 and the 1986 version, Yiping discovered the whole dirty affair.  This was going to be a secret weapon considering that she's hated Xueqin so much.  At the same time, Zhenhua was getting what he deserved but not that I condone to Xueqin's two timing.  I thought this was an affair that really got everything to fix with the theme, "What goes around, comes around." 1986 Yiping (the Yiping that made me wish 2001 Yiping were acted by Barbie Xu instead of Vicki Zhao) went out with Erjie for ulterior motives.  Both versions wanted to uncover the whole dirty affair between Xueqin and her lo...

They feel like Qin Han and Liu Xue Hua chemistry-wise... While watching both the 1986 version and 2001 version of Romance in the Rain after watching Meteor Garden, I just thought that Jerry Yan and Barbie Xu would have made a much stronger Shuhuan and Yiping for this reason. My entire reason would be Jerry Yan has Qin Han's debonair type of appeal, performance and appearance. Although Barbie Xu doesn't look as gorgeous as Liu Xuehua was in her younger days, but the acting of the former was pretty strong in Meteor Garden. I would probably think of possible reactions that could have happened with the character of Yiping. Watching through Qin Han's and Liu Xuehua's performance made me think... DANG! SHUHUAN AND YIPING SHOULD HAVE BEEN ACTED BY JERRY YAN AND BARBIE XU! Looking at the scene in Meteor Garden where Shantsai was beaten up and accused unfairly, Daoming Si going near her to help her... so what was the point? I pretty thought that scene looked better than ...

Knowing some of Qiong Yao's novels were usually set in China during the feudalistic times where chauvinism and harsh family dictum were the norm, Romance in the Rain is a commentary that shows the flaws of an unequal, unjust and harsh society. Women back then in the old Chinese society prior to women knowing their rights were not treated so well. Having had ancestry from China, I have also consulted with my elders about how life in China was especially for women. Romance in the Rain is a novel on women's rights. The whole story is set in 1930s China (or later in 1960s Taiwan depending on the version) where Lu Zhenhua a famous general in Northeastern China has taken up to eight brides who all resembled each other in some way. Yiping was born in the eighth marriage and later, Zhenhua moves to Shanghai. He had laid aside his first eight wives leaving Yiping and her mother Wenpei in poverty while he lives lavishly with his ninth wife Xueqin (who was an opera singer he married he...

With the surging back of Meteor Garden back (but really, please get other shows already), I was also thinking of the rather coincidental events in Meteor Garden that happened in Romance in the Rain or at least, similar plot elements.  Here they are: Dao Ming Si and Shantsai to 1986 version of Shuhuan and Yiping- I can talk about the actors Jerry Yan and Qin Han with their leading ladies Barbie Xu and Liu Xuehua.  In both stories, the relationships are POINTLESS.  I mean, pointless.  I mean, whenever the leading ladies try to get away from their leading guys, the leading guys can go as far as to pinning the leading lady to a fence or it's very kiss/slap/kiss relationship.  I mean, I even felt like Shantsai should have broken up with Dao Ming Si already and same for Yiping and Shuhuan.  And Shantsai like Yiping was out there fore revenge at first and in order to love a certain man, plucks their spines away and are left defenseless.  Shantsai during Me...

Watching the 1986 version and the 2001 version has its own sets of advantages and disadvantage.  So here's some things I thought were stuff I dislike, that the 2001 version for me is better: As if Meteor Garden wasn't enough for me to say that Shantsai should dump Daoming Si, in here you have Shuhuan being abusive to Yiping.  Really what kind of boyfriend is that?  Yiping wants to get away then Shuhuan picks her up and pins her to a fence?  I personally thought that 1986 Shuhuan was almost as bad as Dao Ming Si and both characters really are stubborn mules, maybe that's why they both develop a crush on both their leading ladies who are strong panthers.  And one thing also, the more fierce Yiping is, the more attracted Shuhuan is to her.  The 2001 version managed to make Shuhuan much better though Qin Han is the better actor over Leo Ku.  Returning Shuhuan and Yiping works in real life for the 2001 version, the 1986 version you have Shuhuan as pretty...

Here's a sadder review of Romance in the Rain for the 1986 version. I have seen the 2001 version and there's some differences here. One might consider the setting is in 1960s Taiwan rather than in 1930s China. Insteadm we have Lu Zhenhua as a retired general who had multiple divorces, left with one ex-wife Wenpei and the current wife Xueqin. For starters, I'm only more familiar with Liu Xue Hua and Qin Han because they are still active, but for the rest who are these people? I can't really critique much except the sadness of this story. So we have the whip plots, Du Fei being the idiotic one (Alec Su's version is better) and I thought it was a low-budget Qiong Yao, what do you expect from the 80s? But if anybody really stands out here Qin Han really, really beats Leo Ku's rather shallow acting. Qin Han as Shuhuan is well what I'd call passionate and debonair but why in the world does he have the nasty habit of lifting Yiping up and holding her against a w...

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

Romance in the Rain is a huge remake from the 1986 version Love in the Rain.  I had done some research to compare both versions which shows, despite that both shows make you cry buckets of tears, you could see some differences like: The setting- The 1986 version was set in 1960s Taiwan or earlier.  Here Zhenhua had retired from duty and had eight ex-wives.  In the 2001 version, it's set in 1930s China which later transitions into World War 2.  I thought the 2001 setting made a little more sense. The tragedies that were averted for the 2001 version: Mengping's tragedy.  In the 1986 she does remain a bitch but in the 2001, after her tragedy she became a better person caring for other children. The Lus after losing their wealth had these changes:   While Ruping killed herself in the 1986 version, in here she was about to and she ran off, but she decided to become a nurse with a death wish to die honorably instead.  In short, Dufei doesn't cry o...

I just read from Manga Book Shelf and well, to no surprise the novel was more tragic than the 1982 adaptation and its remake in 2001 . Now for some bits and tidbits on the more tragic side of Romance in the Rain from the novel: First the tragedy of Lu Mengping the misguided bratty teenage daughter. I know she's done a lot of bad things but she was only 16 and hey she DID NOT murder anybody. During that time she got raped and got pregnant, I really think it was really bad for her father Zhenhua to actually disown her. Another of my complaints was that well she's a bitch but the original novel had her isolated, she stayed in a shelter and later she got out finding out she hasn't reconciled with her father, she finds her maternal half-brother Erjie in the orphanage and Erhao had gone penniless. Also, Erjie was never recovered from the orphanage in the second novel to be reunited with his legal family. In the 1986 version, Mengping got married despite her state while in 2001...

The Lu family is the center of Romance in the Rain which was utterly dysfunctional.  So we have the following according to the 2001 remake: General Lu Zhenhua- He is the patriarch of the family who has had a series of failed marriages.  During the start of the series, he already had seven ex-wives and he randomly picks Fu Wenpei for his eighth wife (and had two daughters, one who died young and the other was Ruping the protagonist) and then he immediately picks up Wang Quexin which was a bigamy then divorced Fu Wenpei for Wang Quexin which was a bad decision.  Of course, karma is a bitch when it hits him that after he and Quexin had three children namely Erhao, Ruping and Mengping the youngest Erjie isn't his but the son of his latest wife with another man who was a criminal.  Later we realize that Zhenhua was once a lowly servant who fell for a rich man's daughter, he became a general and later found out his girlfriend had committed suicide to escape an arranged...

In Romance in the Rain, there's the lesson of "what goes around, comes around" which can be seen by these... Lu Yiping Yup she is part of the karmic cycle. When she vows revenge on her father and her father's latest wife Xueqin, everything goes for the worse like when she started dating Shuhuan for revenge. That of course causes a serious conflict. In the original novel, she and Shuhuan are never reconciled teaching a hard lesson revenge does more harm than good. Lu Zhenhua I would think that this guy really deserved a lot of what was coming to him. Having the tragedy of Pingping was no excuse to start picking up women and divorcing them like they were stamps. So pretty much by the time he was a high ranking general, he had seven ex-wives then he picks up Fu Wenpei as his eighth wife after multiple divorces. Then he picks up Xueqin as the ninth wife and had some bigamy for some time. In his case, the karma hit him when it turned out to be that for ten years,...

This is my favorite song in the whole Romance in the Rain series.  In fact, while I love the opening and ending song, this song really touched my heart the most.  It describes the patient love Yiping has for Shuhuan as the latter prepares to leave for battle with her half-brother Erhao (who is waited upon by Fang Yu). While you were holding my hands tightly And keep saying,  "Take care, Take care!" While you were looking into my eyes deeply And keep saying,  "Don't see me off, Don't see me off!" When you walked onto the departing train platform I finally could not stop myself from calling and calling Seeing your train went away further and further My heart was filled with scattered and confused feelings Haven't even started to say those thousands of words My tears were already overflowing, overflowing From then on, I got attached to that train station Countless times I was there, aimlessly staring The farewell scene would always reappear...

Here's a comparison of the two Qiong Yao adaptations.  Yup the novel is a tragedy but I'd like to comment on both series content-wise. The original series starred Liu Xue Hua and Qin Han.  I don't know much about the rest since I knew Liu Xue Hua and Qin Han through modern series.  I would agree that Qin Han's age was too old to play as Shu Huan but he doesn't look that old so it passed.  This version is a sadder, weepier version that my mom may not bother to watch.  I remembered my late paternal grandmother watched this before.  For me, this series was always a source of tears and frustration.  In fact, having Ruping commit suicide and that tragedy hitting the Lus, I know Ruping is stupid but don't make her any more stupid.  Now moving on... The remake called "Romance in the Rain" has its lighter atmosphere but not without the trademark buckets of tears per episode.  So yeah, Vicki Zhao is pretty fresh and dynamic like as if she were a...

Well I'm talking about the Ruping portrayed by Ruby Lin and I see some comments on Youtube that tend to bash her too much.  Sure I find her dumb and everything but we fail to see her positive traits.  For one, I tend to get irritated with her stupidity or that she got manipulative because of her love for Shuhuan, but let's face these facts.  She's NOT entirely selfish as you'd like to portray her to be.  Beneath her flaws, Ruping is not selfish.  I mean, one has to consider that compared to her mother Xue Chin, she actually cared about even for her half-sister Yiping and her father's previous wife Wenpei.  I woudl like to credit that also, she does NOT force Shuhuan to love her.  You might also consider that despite the fact she stupidly called Wei Guangxiong so he can free her mother (who she still loved deeply), she still loves her mother.  You could consider also the fact that she wanted to end her life but she instead joined the battlefield a...

After reviewing The Last Night of Madame Chin, if you thought that was too much of a tearjerker, this one does present itself with more tears but with a few surprises.  So yeah, pretty much "Romance in the Rain" takes the rain theme with all the crying and rainy scenes.  Compared to Liu Xue Hua's and Qin Han's version which was in Taipei, the open door China allowed this one to be placed in Shanghai with the addition of the character Du Fei (who has a few comic relief moments but done in a day to day type of comedy than forced humor), this one does present the Republican era of China with some common stereotypes like men who are desperate lovers and women who may undergo psychological suffering for the sake of a man.  This is 49 episodes but it spans a very rich story that kept me more hooked than Last Night of Madame Chin with the story of love, compassion and forgiveness set as well as letting go of revenge.  For one, Vicki Zhao for me pretty much steals the spotl...

Well, I'm now watching Romance in the Rain (which Indonesians who like Chinese drama will fondly remember as Kabut Cinta) and here are my thoughts. I watched this before on TV but real life problems like school work and later real work cut down the schedule. That's why I really don't care about broadcasts. So far here are my thoughts on some of the characters and I would say this story is far more engaging than the Qiong Yao-like series "Last Night of Madame Chin": Lu Yiping is hard and stubborn, pretty much vindictive for some time quite the opposite of her gentle mother. So her backstory is that her mother became the 8th ex-wife of a philandering general albeit by force. Eventually her dad divorced her mother for the opera singer Xu Qin. The actiress Vicki Zhao could really play as the stubborn Yiping who learns to soften up. Yup she and Liu Xue Hua are somewhat at par in acting. Lu Ruping is the anti-thesis of her wicked mother Xu Qin proving people can ...