Queen Not Getting Off Work (4 Gifts) Episode 2 Recap

This is such a promising episode. Loving the interaction. Loving thehumour. Loving the drama. Loving it more than Episode 1. 🙂

Episode 2 Recap

ShuEr continues to pester RenShao with her questions, and so the latter had no choice but be frank. Choosing her as the model has nothing to do with Irene, it’s just that among other models, she had the smallest breast. Eh?! He further explains that her “unique” quality provides a feeling of mystery. Double Eh??!! Needless to say, his straight-to-the-face insult annoyed ShuEr, who in return, acts like a brat. But then, RenShao ignores her childish ploys.

At the Zhang’s- RuoTian, RuoWei and RuoYi demands some explanations on ShaSha’s sudden decision of moving out. Girls, the reason is quite obvious! You forgot to tell her about Dad’s AWOL incident. If that’s not an obvious disregard, then what is it? But then this issue proves to be the least of their concerns as ShaSha declares she already quit school. The elder sisters nearly went insane and ask her why, but little sister would rather tell the reason to Mom than them.

Since today is Mom’s Death Anniversary, the sisters went to Gudy’s (Josh’s flowershop) to get the camellias. The other sisters must have noticed something special between RuoYi and Josh, and so they teased RuoYi all throughout the trip. Despite RuoYi’s denials, the sisters won’t stop. RuoWei even contends that it’s impossible for that guy to be just a friend coz he didn’t look at her (the Beauty Queen) with the usual admiring gaze.

RenShao goes to a hospital (more like a Mental Ward) and there, he sees a man throwing a tantrum. It turns out that the man is his little brother, XiaoBin. As RenShao talked with the hospital director, we learned that their mom heartlessly left the 5-year old XiaoBin there and never came back.

The Zhang family and YuXiang (RuoYi’s friend from Episode 1), visits Mom’s grave. Though suffering from Alzheimer’s, somehow, Dad can’t forget the pain of her death. The sisters then shares some of their life updates to Mom. RuoTian boasts about the crime cases she solved and happily reports that she may even become the Chief Prosecutor this year. RuoWei proudly declares herself as the reigning Fashion/ Beauty Queen and with her accomplishments, she’ll surely become the next Editor-in-Chief. RuoYi is far more humble than the two and relays that she’s still the same. And lastly, ShaSha… well, once again shocked everyone when she announces her marriage to YuXiang.

RuoYi’s narration: Blessed God, thank you for giving us a strong heart. Since morning, we’ve been through a lot. From Shasha’s mistaken suicidal attempt, to moving out of the house, and now getting married! This little devil really wants us to breakdown with her devastating bombs!

As usual, RuoTian is fuming mad at ShaSha’s extremely absurd exploits. YuXiang confesses  that they  fell in love with each other a long time ago, but couldn’t find the courage to tell RuoYi about it.  And with that said, RuoTian blames RuoYi for being too busy with Josh and not noticing the two youngsters dating. Just to relieve some stress, RuoYi blows bubbles in her drinks.

Back to the hospital, someone is also blowing bubbles- RenShao. He tries to have a serious conversation with XiaoBin (about unchanging brotherly love and stuffs), but then Little Bro isn’t a tad interested. Instead, he mutters: “Mom, I miss you. Mom, I’m waiting for you”. Listening to his brother’s pitiful words, RenShao suddenly feels exhausted. RenShao: “Mother won’t be coming. But brother is here. Brother won’t leave you again”.

RuoYi is at Gudy’s, answering the phone and entertaining the client (Mr. Zheng). Josh then tells her that Mr. Zheng is a long-time customer and has always sent flowers to a girl on her birthday. RuoTian admires the client’s dedication and is quite jealous with the girl coz in  truth, she hasn’t even receive any flowers before. And her revelation clearly shocked Josh.

RuoYi conveys that unlike RuoWei (who is pretty, generous and talented), nobody notices her. RuoWei has always been the more popular among the sisters. Everybody who sees her, likes her in an instant. Josh, however, insists that RuoYi has great traits too- she can mop floors, answers phone, and cuts cakes. Haha! Kidding aside, Josh points out that she’s the best when it comes to filial devotion. And the only reason that she’s not in a relationship is because she takes care of her family problems first.

Josh cheers her up and promises to take care of her. He even volunteered to be her boyfriend when she turns 40 and still, nobody wants her. And in return, she must help him with the girls. They ended the deal with a pinky swear.

RuoYi’s narration: Josh is my best friend. I always feel safe when I’m beside him. Too bad, we don’t have chemistry.

RuoWei is busy thinking of some ways boost up sales with the Editor-in-Chief. In the end, they settled on writing about the “Occupational Iron Mulan” and the Chief already had the perfect candidate in mind- Zhang RuoTian. RuoWei is not a bit thrilled but still has to concede. And since RuoTian lives at KaohSiung, RuoWei forces RuoYi to come along.

KaohSiung Cat Motel.

JiaLiang and his troops are out for another night of crime busting. Before they continue, he asks FunnyFriend ManTuo (At last! I knew his name. But I still prefer FunnyFriend though) if they won’t be dealing with annoying prosecutors this time around. FunnyFriend confirms and replies that surely they are  not that UNlucky. But it seems they are, coz RuoTian suddenly joins them. JiaLiang tries to out talk her but she silenced him with a simple: “If you’ll continue talking like that, I’ll sue you for gender discrimination”.

Due to some unfortunate mixed-up, the troops raided the wrong room. And to JiaLiang’s surprise, he sees ShuEr lying on top of the bed. But it is RuoTian who receives the most destructive blow when she stared faced to faced with ShengJie. That good-for-nothing two timer!

Terribly stressed out, RuoTian goes off in a huff and comes across with the criminal Yang JinLong. Good thing, JiaLiang catches up to her. But then, the criminal holds her hostage (yet again!). Dude, doing that to a girl who just got the shock of a lifetime is not really a brilliant idea. Her reflexes takes over and the criminal falls on his knees in pain. Told you so!

RuoTian: Yang JinLong , you bastard! You already have a wife and you’re still doing this?! You men can only think of the lower half of your body. You’re worse than pigs and dogs, you perverts. You’re mom is better off giving birth to a washboard!

The poor criminal is clearly dumbfounded. While JiaLiang and FunnyFriend could only stare at each other in complete puzzlement. Haha!

When things calmed down, RuoTian and JiaLiang confronts the adulterous couple.  ShuEr arrogantly answers back, defending that there’s  nothing wrong with booking a room with someone. Yeah, right! All the while, ShengJie prefers to keep his silence and walks away. ShuEr also tries to escape but JiaLiang won’t let her leave.

At the Police Station, JiaLiang grants ShuEr that one permissible call. And of course, she phones RenShao and complains about an abusive officer who illegally detains her there. At first, RenShao doesn’t even bother to care, but when he learned  that she’s referring to JiaLiang, he was taken aback and his memory flashes to the time he first met  JiaLiang.

At home, RuoTian is quite confused to find ShengJie  fully packed and ready to leave. She tries to stop him, but ShengJie won’t be barred. And just to make it up to her, he says sorry for what he just did.  Still, RuoTian refuses to let him go. She forces ShengJie to fabricate any excuses (like going to a bathroom that badly or being kidnapped) to justify his actions. ShengJie remains unmoved and chooses to stop living like a leech. Yeah, I’d prefer that too!

RuoYi’s car suddenly broke down in the middle of nowhere. They should have moved on with the trip a long time ago though, but then RuoWei is too proud to hitch-hike with unfashionable trucks. Thankfully, a good-looking car approaches and much to their amazement, the driver is RenShao! RenShao offers a lift and off to KaohSiung they go.

During the ride, RuoWei acts all too friendly and nice, which somehow scared RenShao. RuoWei assures that he’s being paranoid. RenShao notices RuoYi silently listening at the backseat and tries to have a conversation. RuoWei joins in and proudly tells him that RuoYi is a superb events manager and if he knows better, he’ll hire RuoYi for his future projects. RenShao readily agrees.

FunnyFriend is curious on why JiaLiang detains ShuEr, when obviously she’s not part of the JinLong’s Case. JiaLiang merely answers that he has his reasons. FunnyFriend couldn’t accept the vague explanation and wonders if he’s doing  this to help the Prosecutor get her revenge. If so, then he should at least  be subtle. JiaLiang rejects the idea and reminds FunnyFriend to hurry up coz his wife is already waiting.

JiaLing sees ShuEr, indecently slouching with  legs stretched out on the tabletop, in the Interrogation Room and so, he immediately shoves her legs off. She threatens to sue him for  abuse of authority. But he doesn’t give a damn and straightforwardly asks why she was at the drug dealer’s party (in Episode 1). Caught off guard, ShuEr jolts in a panic.

RuoWei thanks RenShao for the ride and shrewdly squeezes some info about his  love life. Unsuspectingly, RenShao laughs and  admits that there is indeed a girl  that he can’t seem to let go, even though she’s giving him a lot of headaches.

Noticing RuoWei’s ruse, RuoYi asks if she’s disappointed to know that RenShao has a girlfriend.  RuoWei is appalled. Why would she feel disappointed? If she wanted too, then she’ll be his girlfriend in no time. She’s just interested to know what his girlfriend is like. Considering his status, he’ll go with the extremes- if she ain’t the absolute best, then she’s absolutely common.

JiaLiang spots RuoTian angrily walking towards the Police Station, wearing a scary I’m-about-to-kill-someone look. He drags her in a “more” secluded place to calm her down and put some sense into her. Well, that’s if you consider a bridge a secluded place. JiaLiang warns not to use her position in dealing with personal issues, but RuoTian retorts that she’s just there to interrogate ShuEr like any other suspects.

JiaLiang snaps and frankly tells her to stop acting like a desperate wife who clings to a husband who already ran away. His words pierced through the wound, and she slaps him with all her might.

RuoTian: You’re right! I am an abandoned wife! So you’ve guessed it right. Should I confer an Order of Merit to you?

JiaLiang: I didn’t mean that.

RuoTian: What else do you mean then? Are you afraid that I’ll be like a crazy woman, raising hell and brimstone inside the police station? Do you think I care? After last night, you guys must have laughed behind my back for  a few hundreds of times. If an eight-year relationship can collapse in a single blow, then how could I speak of self-respect? Could you just please mind your own business!

RuoWei is beyond infuriated when the guards refuse to let them stay at the Prosecutor’s Office. She complains and rants about violating her human rights. And so, RuoYi patiently explains that it’s a given coz RuoTian is doing a fieldwork and a Public Prosecutor’s Office isn’t a waiting place.  But RuoWei still feels harassed coz it’s the first time somebody dared to  turn her down. RuoWei: “Since the beginning of time, this face has always granted me a right of passage!” Haha!

As the two sisters pass over the “Love River”, some fans excitedly takes some picture with RuoWei. RuoYi smiles at the sidelines and thinks to herself.

RuoYi’s narration: It is said that worms have an amazing healing ability. Then RuoWei must have been a worm in her past life. I’m not insulting her. Rather, I admire her. She easily accepts the admiration of people like she rightfully deserves it. It’s as if the hurt she suffered from the Prosecutor’s Office just a moment ago never happened. But perhaps to RuoWei, the warmth of her admirers is the best medicine and tonic.

The storm has passed and RuoTian regains her cool. Before she leaves, she warns JiaLiang not to tattle about her little fit of temper or she won’t let him off. JiaLiang just smiles and asks what she’s talking about. With JiaLiang’s silence secured, RuoTian leaves much more relieved.

JiaLiang: She must be feeling terrible. I knew I shouldn’t have been too straightforward with her.

The time for the much-needed reunion has come. We are given hints of previous misunderstandings  between JiaLiang and RenShao as the former demands a long overdue explanation about something. And then flashback: Irene confesses her love to RenShao, but then he is clearly struggling to cast her feelings off. She accuses him of being a coward and guesses that it’s because of JiaLiang. Back to now: RenShao coldly answers that he doesn’t owe him anything. ShuEr wickedly smiles, sensing the tension and walks off. RenShao follows her trail. JiaLiang guarantees that he’ll definetely finds the truth.

After hours of looking for Big Sis, RuoWei and RuoYi decided to wait outside the Prosecutor’s Office. When an officemate passes by, they introduced their selves as RuoTian’s sisters and asked him where she might be. Officemate is actually glad that they came to accompany RuoTian in this tragic time. The sisters are oblivious to what happened and Officemate willingly retells the incident at the Motel.

RuoYi worries that Big Sister may be secretly crying somewhere and worst, may have lost her senses already. RuoWei optimistically assures that this crisis may just be an opportunity for them to let RuoTian know that there are other men out there. And besides, with RuoTian’s attitude, she’s more likely to vent her anger to somebody than cry alone. Just then, RuoYi  overhears their conversation and next, is a very awkward family meeting.

ShengJie actually had the guts to do his “crime” again! He and ShuEr tries to continue the  “act” . And before they could, JiaLiang burst in the scene and threatens to sue ShengJie  for corrupting a minor.  ShuEr stubbornly counters that she is almost 20 and could already be considered an adult. JiaLiang only eyes her with disgust and tells her to dress properly. Annoyed to be caught in the same mess again, ShuEr walks away.

With ShuEr gone, ShengJie dares JiaLiang to cuff him then. JiaLiang is much angrier now and asks if he ever thought how sad RuoTian would be if she finds out about this. ShengJie is perplexed. Why is she sad? Because he left? That just means she could be with someone better. JiaLiang wouldn’t want to interfere with somebody else’s lives and tells ShengJie to face his problems upfront. ShengJie angrily snaps and retorts that if JiaLiang really cares about RuoTian, then he could have her then. JiaLiang nearly gives him a beating, but restrains himself.

RuoTian is acting weird and lost, but RuoWei still proceeds with the interview as usual. RuoTian is quite offended that her sister doesn’t even care to ease her pains. And then, dead silence. RuoYi could only look worriedly at her sisters.

RuoYi’s narration: RuoTian, has always given so much effort in everything, but when it comes to love, she’s still inept.

RenShao gives ShuEr some scolding and forbids her from seeing ShengJie again. He knows too well that when the feeling is gone, she’ll be the one to suffer the most. ShuEr stubbornly contends, saying that she wants to embrace this feeling- just like him and JiaLiang. RenShao tries to change the topic as it makes him a little uncomfortable. However, ShuEr still has the last say and tells him that being hurt is so addictive and that forbidden love cures every woman’s pain.

The next day, RuoYi calls YuXiang. He is then startled when ShaSha showers him with light morning kisses. Hearing the clatter, RuoYi gets worried and assumes that something happened to Dad. RuoYi’s anxious reaction wakes RuoTian and RuoWei up. And so they knew that YuXiang slept at their house and of course, not happy about it. But then ShaSha is too stubborn to have her own ways and cuts the call.

RuoTian has been informed about a robbery case, and she speedily prepares to leave. RuoWei sneakily follows Big Sis, still dragging poor RuoYi along. In the end, it was just a false alarm. RuoTian notices the other police officers’ knowing smiles and presupposes that JiaLiang told them about yesterday. JiaLiang reasons that since she came like a madman yesterday, everybody couldn’t possibly missed her little performance. But RuoTian won’t accept his explanations at all.

Direct your attention to the yellow balloon. RuoTian gets irritated with the balloon and pulls it away, so it flew. And out-of-nowhere, a little child cries.

JiaLiang: Little kid, don’t cry. That inhumane auntie isn’t yelling at you. Don’t be scared. Don’t cry.

RuoTian: Little brother, has mommy ever told you not to listen to strangers? You’re crying?  If you continue crying, then this uncle will arrest you and lock you up at the police station!

Little child cries even more. And JiaLiang struggles to hush him. FunnyFriend offers some help and buys the little child some balloons. Proud that he saved the day, and demostrated an awesome fatherly gesture on top of that, FunnyFriend then begins to flaunt his own baby’s ultrasound pictures. Before they get trapped with the gibberish talks, RuoTian and JiaLiang immediately escapes.

JiaLiang: If I see that picture again, my eyes will get sick.

RuoTian: If I see that picture, I’ll just use Law 235 (Distributing and Selling Inappropriate Objects). Haha!

And they both laugh. The scene turns serious as RuoTian asks JiaLiang about his relationship with ShuEr. Before he could answer, RuoYi’s phone rings, and thereby, getting RuoTian and JiaLiang’s attention. Since they’re caught, RuoWei just go with the flow and asks JiaLiang for an interview. And he agrees!

Because of Dad’s health issues, RuoYi and RuoWei are forced to go back to Taipei ASAP. RuoWei remarks that since they’re going back, RuoTian must learn to take care of her love problems alone. RuoYi tries to stop RuoWei from talking about “it”, but RuoTian is curious on what she’s going to say and dares the “know-it-all who was never rejected by men” to name an ideal man then. RuoWei answers in a rush: Tong JiaLiang. He’s got the brains and the brawns, and in men, he’s definitely a top prize. RuoTian just laughs. That weirdo?

RuoWei is rather serious and advises that sometimes, RuoTian must also listen to her little sister’s professional advice. RuoYi is intrigued. Isn’t her profession about fashion? RuoWei clarifies that fashion is her career, but love is her profession.

At the office, RuoTian thinks and smiles to herself. “That weirdo is a top product? In what way is he special? Did RuoWei like his hairstyle or his muscle? How laughable”.

FunnyFriend: Boss, why does the Prosecutor continuously look at you and then stupidly smiles? She likes you!

JiaLiang: Please! Don’t give me nightmares!

JiaLiang can’t stand the awkward scenario anymore and asks if the report is okay. RuoTian resumes the cold and strict facade and tells them that she still needs to interrogate JinLong.

Just then, FunnyFriend receives a call that JinLong got away. And so they rush to the hospital. There, the Police Officers confirm JinLong’s escape. RuoTian rashly storms out. Why? To find JinLong! I must admit, this idea is absurd as it is silly. Thank goodness JiaLiang talks her out of it. Their argument is then interrupted by RuoWei’s call. RuoTian is so pissed with the untimely disruption and immediately hungs up. Since RuoTian doesn’t entertain her calls, RuoWei drops all of Dad’s hospital issues to RuoYi.

RuoYi can’t seem to say no and accepts the responsibilities. She’s surveying this hospital when XiaoBin gets fascinated with her bag accessory and snatched her bag. RenShao comes running and apologizes.

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac Subbed!

Good News!!! After months of eager waiting,  Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac (Dareka ga Watashi ni Kiss wo Shita/Somebody Kissed Me) is finally subbed. Watch the video at dramacrazy.

http://www.dramacrazy.net/japanese-movie/memoirs-of-a-teenage-amnesiac-watch/

Plot: (From AsianMeadiWiki)

Naomi (Horikita Maki) is an ordinary high school student who goes to an international school. One day, she loses her memory for the past 4 years. But gradually, she begins to search for her identity, and even when her memory returns, she keeps on looking for her real self, and what she truly loves in life. This movie also stars Ken’ichi Matsuyama, Yuya Tegoshi, and American actor Anton Yelchin based on a book written by Gabrielle Zevin.

For more info: Just visit Wikipedia.

Here’s the trailer.

I’m not sure. BUT maybe I’ll write a summary or recap about this awesome movie. 🙂

Queen Not Getting Off Work (4 Gifts) Episode 1 Recap

Honestly, I find this drama a typical run on the mill. It hasn’t given me any full blast impression… just yet. But still, I’m willing to give it another try.  Like I’ve said, drama appreciation has always been subjective. 🙂 Besides, I’m loving JiaLiang and RuoTian.:)

I won’t introduce the characters anymore. Please refer to my previous post if you want.

Episode 1 Recap

2010-Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur.

The show starts with a random man (Alex) talking about Ren Shao’s “awesome profile” in front of art enthusiasts, which are mostly ladies BTW. This time, we’ll get to learn that Ren Shao is a certified artist extraordinaire, and is even dubbed as the Asian Andy Warhol (a famous visual artist). Among the group is RuoTian, wearing an impossibly high-heeled pair of shoes! She overhears the women’s hopeful expectations, but RuoTian knows better. RenShao will never show up, and so, she leaves, fully aware of where he might be.

It turns out our genius designer is busy playing “congkak” (a popular traditional Malaysian board game) in a secluded alley somewhere in Malaysia. Just when he was about to win, RuoTian suddenly appears and knocks the board off. This girl sure knows how to make an entrance!

She mocks his “bratty” attitude of not attending his own conference and he automatically replies with a cold “Who the heck are you?” She hands in her calling card, and introduces herself as Vivian (RuoWei’s English name). Straight way, she relays about the bet she made with her sisters: convince him to attend the College Reunion. He throws a rather sarcastic smile at her arrogance. He couldn’t care less. He already rejected that invitation and why on earth would he change his mind for a gossip girl like her. But RuoTian isn’t just your typical gossip girl.

And to RenShao’s surprise, RuoTian reveals the presence of the very person he is desperately wanting to meet. Indeed, he went to Malaysia just to get the cooperation of the famous Batik Master. But up until now, all his efforts proved futile. He must admit, this girl named Vivian works wonders. RuoTian walks off, leaving the flabbergasted RenShao behind. In bewilderment, he asks how she knew. And she turns around, saying: “That’s why you shouldn’t look down on gossips of women”. Eat that RenShao!

Ruo Yi’s narration: “This is my second elder sister Zhang Ruo Wei. She’s the Beauty Queen. There isn’t anything a Queen can’t do”.

2010- Taipei. Night time.

Police operatives, headed by Tong JiaLiang, are quite busy for a drug raid. However, per instruction says, they couldn’t just proceed until the Public Prosecutor comes. Of course, JiaLiang is not so happy about it and grumbles on the thought. And alas Prosecutor Chief RuoTian arrives, wearing another impossibly high-heeled pair of shoes!

Ruo Yi’s narration: “This is my eldest sister, Zhang RuoTian, a Public Prosecutor. To many women this is such a heroic title. RuoTian’s three favorite words are: To fight Forward!”

Jia Liang is a tad dumbfounded seeing the shoes, but mostly on the fact that the Prosecutor is a woman. When she moves toward the scene, he tries to stop her, implying that it’s not safe for a woman to join them on the frontline. But she won’t be deterred and used her position as an excuse to tag along. In the end, JiaLiang could only look at her with obvious disapproval.

And the team sneakily went inside the compound, successfully striking discord and panic on the party people. Unfortunately, Wu TianLiang (the suspect), was able to hide behind the bushes. He was about to escape when he accidentally bumps into RuoTian. And just like any other trapped suspect, he instinctively holds RuoTian hostage. But then again, Lady Prosecutor isn’t a bit scared and threatens to prolong his jail-time instead.

Looking for some escape route, TianLiang walks farther backwards. He miscalculated and falls straight to the pool along with RuoTian. JiaLiang jumps at the opportunity, gives TianLiang a punch and rescues RuoTian. He pulls her to safety, holding her rather too close for comfort. But instead of being grateful, she rudely remarks at his “antics”. Just imagine TianLiang’s shock. And this is what he gets for his gallantry?! Goofy friend (don’t know his name) laughs silently and he too gets some scolding. When he surveys the area, he sees a woman running away. He seems to know the girl, and calls her “Shu Er”. He rushes to get to her, accidentally or rather purposefully shoving RuoTian back to the pool. And RuoTian angrily shrieks that she’ll sue him for attempted murder! Haha!

JiaLiang didn’t mind her though as he is busy looking for the girl, but then failed to find her. And so RuoTian directs her temper towards the suspect, who refuses to surrender willingly. She snaps and orders the police men to shoot at him without hesitation. Of course, the suspect had no choice and gave in.

Ruo Yi’s narration: “If RuoTian was born in the past, she would definitely be a King’s specially appointed General. Her beauty has made many men only watch from afar”.

Then, we find the third sister, RuoYi, arranging some things for the upcoming reunion. Her friend (don’t know the name again!) is quite amazed that her batch (which includes RenShao, RuoTian, RuoWei) is made up of “Celebrities”. He even praised her for convincing the world-famous Ren Shao to join. However, she honestly conveys that she couldn’t have made it, if not for RuoWei.

Meanwhile at work, RuoWei calls her staff for a meeting. There, she voices out her dissatisfaction in the 4.5% drop of last month’s sales. They talk about it and are resolved that it’s because they haven’t followed the trend of writing articles about men. Editor-in-Chief butts in; asking where are the men then? They couldn’t possibly have any difficulties in finding them since, they’re just around. RuoWei reasons that it’s not about finding men, it’s about finding “good” men. And the idea to write about the 10 places where good men hide pops in RuoWei’s mind. And hurray, an article for next month!

The staff (made up of 3 associate editors) mulls on some possible answers/places. Staff A (the chubby one) suddenly blurts out that they could interview the talented young designer Ren Shao. Of course, they know that meeting him is next to impossible. Except RuoTian, of course. And just as she says, the “good man” is already waiting for them at the conference room.

She thanks him for accepting the invitation,but he arrogantly clarifies that he’s just sticking to his promise. His coldness doesn’t affect her though, and asks Richard to give their guest some Sparkling Water (Me thinks, it’s a sort of soft-drink). And then Evil Girl (Shu Er) interrupts and demands that they give her ice water, adding that only their type of people drink Sparkling Water. Still calm, RuoWie casually tells Richard to give her cooled boiled water instead. Shu Er protests, saying that she wants ice water not cooled boiled water. RuoWei doesn’t give a damn and spits that they only have boiled water, so she better settle for that. And her unrestrained demeanor earns an admiring look from RenShao.

While RuoYi continues to busy with the preparations, she receives a call that Dad is missing and leaves in an instant.

Just to avoid any more mishaps, JiaLiang reports RuoTian’s foolish deeds to the Attorney General. And thus, the feisty Lady Prosecutor received chastisement. She eyes JiaLiang with contempt, and the latter could only look away. The General angrily instructs that the next time she comes for an operation, she better stay on the command center. She argues that since everybody already went in, where then is the Command Center? JiaLiang butts in and seriously answers: “The Command Center is right next to me”. They stare at each other, both unrelenting to be defeated. Thankfully, her phone rings. JiaLiang tells her to answer her phone first, but just to spite him, she cancels the call right before his eyes. She strides out and JiaLiang could only smile apologetically at the General.

RuoWei shows RenShao the program and sched for the reunion, but he isn’t interested with the details at all. Instead, he asks how she knew that he was in that alley. She willingly answers that it’s all a matter of logic and listening to gossips. She knows for a fact that he doesn’t like crowded places, and thus, isolated alleys suit his preference. Besides, she  heard about his issue on the Old Master. RenShao couldn’t help but admire her obvious luck. She then receives a call from RuoYi, but dismissed it immediately and proceeds to the “interview”. Realizing what she’s aiming at, RenShao laughs. It seems that her research is incomplete, or else she would have known that he doesn’t agree to any media interviews. A new challenge for the Queen, eh?

Waiting at RuoTian’s desk is her long-time boyfriend (Lin Sheng Jie). He is obviously enjoying the feel of being inside a prosecutor’s office (he’s a Law Grad but can’t pass the exam), and instantly stands when RuoTian comes in. She worriedly looks for her scarf (the one her mom gave her). And when JiaLiang suddenly joins them and returns her scarf, she’s appalled. RuoTian’s phone rings again, and this time she picks up. It’s from RuoYi, informing her that Dad is M.I.A. Overhearing her distress, JiaLiang offers some help and calls a friend, but RuoTian arrogantly declines.

ShengJie and RuoTian rushes to help RuoYi. Somehow RuoTian feels that RuoYi is upset, even though the latter won’t show it. She feels she’s not a good daughter because she’s not like RuoYi who stays beside their dad’s side. ShengJie tells her that she’s just thinking about it too much and asks why she’s angry at the Police Officer (JiaLiang). And she complains that the man is just a total jerk. He wants to control her every move, every freakin’ time. He’s just like all other Officers who discriminates because of gender. And thus, she ends up criticizing the flaws in the judicial system. Feeling insecure, ShengJie jokes that he doesn’t have the slightest idea coz can’t even pass the exam. Self-pity much!

RuoWei, RenShao and Evil Girl Shu Er takes a car ride to the venue. RuoWei and RenShao shares about their opinion on music and love, and it’s revealed that both doesn’t believe in true love. RuoWei then remembers to call RuoYi. But then, she’s not at all concerned about their family situation, and leaves RuoYi to handle the problem.

Ruo Yi is getting pissed that her sisters doesn’t care a bit about their father. In exasperation, she lets out a scream. Josh (owner of the flower-shop) hears her outburst and asks that if she’s there for the camellia, then she better wait for tomorrows delivery. And then a sudden memory comes to her mind. She thanks Josh for reminding her and leaves in a hurry.

And she guessed it right. Dad is in the flower field, looking at where the camellias used to grow. Dad is getting paranoid when he didn’t see the camellias and so RuoYi tells him that she already bought the flowers and promises to take him to mom’s grave. This eases Dad’s worries and he agrees to go home, but then he nearly stumbles and RuoYi notices that he is running a fever. At the hospital, the doctor informs RuoTian, RuoYi and ShengJie that Dad may be suffering from Alzheimer’s, but then, the diagnosis needs reconfirmation and they need not worry too much.

Upon hearing Dad’s condition, RuoWei remains indifferent and is more worried about her make-up. Her attitude made RuoTian angry and they fought.

RuoYi’s narration: RuoTian and RuoWei always argue when they see each other. But this is the first time they actually went overboard. Maybe they are just refusing to accept that Dad is sick or just hiding their anxiety in their arguments.

Reunion time. RuoWei delivers her speech. RuoTian isn’t a bit pleased, she even recites RuoWei’s overused lines, mocks at her pretenses and makes a scene. Just to divert the attention, RuoWei introduces her sisters. She gives more credit to RuoYi, who is clearly unaccustomed to attention .  RuoWei then calls RenShao.

And RenShao shocks everybody with his speech. He calls Evil Girl, and she automatically flaunts her bare chest. RenShao explains that the self is the real beauty.Clothes, shoes, accessories just helps, but to understand beauty we must fully understand one’s self first. If not, then we are just conforming to the trend. This earns an applause from RuoWei and the others follow. Everybody finds his speech rather enlightening except RuoTian who muses out loud that all she’s witnessing is a Moral Crime. Haha!

And the classmates reminisce the good times. Everybody admires RuoTian’s accomplishment, but then it’s a given coz she bested everyone at school. However, when the classmates asks about ShengJie’s work, he gets insecure. RuoTian saves his face and answers that he has a Doctorate in Law. Just in time, ShuEr passes by and flashes ShengJie a provocative smile. The two-timer automatically succumb to her charm and followed her outside.

As for RenShao, he’s hiding inside a private room just to avoid some groupies. RuoWei helps him dispose the eager fans. Though grateful, RenShao snootily adds that it’s her job in the first place, since she forced him to attend. RuoWei  teaches him the way out. But before he leaves, he can’t help but ask her how much she betted just to take him there.  She signals “1”, which stands for one dollar. And so he smirks. All of that trouble for just a dollar? Obviously this girl is crazy.

Outside, RuoYi stumbles upon RenShao. I meant that in a literal way. This is the moment she fell in love with him.In her mind: “I don’t understand, maybe because of his  cologne, but my heart seems to beat faster”. She was lost in a daze, and so RenShao wakes her up.

RenShao helps her gather her things, and then recognizes her as Vivian’s sister.  By accident, they see ShengJie and ShuEr making out. RuoTian and RuoWei happens to be in the area. RuoYi prevents the awkward encounter and buys some time.

But then, RuoTian isn’t an outstanding prosecutor for nothing. She knows something is wrong and eyes the two-timer and his “mistress”. ShengJie gives an obvious lie. No doubt, he can’t pass the Board Exam! ShuEr dares RuoTian to arrest her then. RuoTian nearly lost her cool but RuoWei reasons that ShuEr is just a child and it’s a waste of time to deal with her. RenShao watches the drama and drags ShuEr away.ShengJie then tries to persuade RuoTia, and as the couple walks off, RuoYi thinks to her self: “Looking at ShengJie and RuoTian, I remember Dad. I wonder are there really princes and princesses in this world who will live happily ever after.”

The girls visit Dad at the hospital. RuoTian worriedly asks if Dad is okay. To her dismay he can’t remember her, but can recognize RuoWei. Hurt and feeling betrayed RuoTian goes outside. She thinks over their family bonding times. RuoYi joins her and lightens her mood, saying that he can’t remember coz of the illness. But RuoTian argues then why did he remember RuoWei. RuoYi kindly replies that maybe because RuoWei looks like their mom. Still, RuoTian contends that Dad loves RuoWei more than any of his daughters.

RuoYi (in voiceover): Why do I feel that sister has been betrayed by the two men she loved the most in one night? Seeing her like this, my arrogant sister is really hurt.

Rouwei joins them and sadly relays that Dad doesn’t also recognize her, and thinks she’s their mom.

RuoYi (again in voiceover): Though sad, I really like times like this. I like RuoTian and RuoWei’s tears. It makes me feel as though I’m not different  from them, makes me feel that we’re still sisters, still a family.

And RuoYi begins to tell the story of a Queen (their mom). Once upon a time, there was a princess who’s not only pretty but smart as well. She’s not in a hurry to marry her prince coz she knows even without him, she could still have her kingdom. The princess always says this: “When you understand beauty, wherever you go it will show”. She studied in France and went back to help other girls become attractive princesses as well. The King (their grandfather) allowed her to lead the fashion department. There she diligently pursues her dream and welcomes every applause. But in one lonely corner, she found love (their dad) and broke everybody’s heart. She married the cellist and gave up her dreams. She lived a simple life and gave birth to 3 princesses. On her 38th birthday she gave each princesses special gifts. To the eldest: a silk scarf, to the second: a mirror, to the third: suitcase and lastly, to the baby in her stomach: a pen.

RuoYi volunteers to quit work and take care of Dad. RuoTian strongly disagree. She can’t just  quit and sacrifice everything! RuoWei suggests that they send Dad to a Nursing Home instead. The other sisters oppose. RuoTian settles on hiring a nurse and take shifts. This time, RuoWei doesn’t agree.  It’s impossible for her to stick to her schedule (especially during night-time).

RuoYi  insists on quitting. Clearly, she’s the only person who could do that. Suddenly youngest sister (Sasa/RuoYu) comes in, overdressed and weirdo looking.  It seems that the elder sisters forgot to inform her about Dad. Annoyed, she declares that she’ll make sure she won’t be left out again. She walks off and for a moment,  RuoTian imagines RuoYu might be committing suicide and rushes to her room.

When she sees RuoYu standing on top of a chair, she pushes her over the bed.  RuoYu is taken aback. She’s not going to hang herself! She’s just putting away her favorite decor.Seeing the luggages, the other sisters suspect that she’ll be going on a trip.

Meanwhile, ShengJie is sleeping at home, surrounded by a pile of books and reviewers, when his phone rings. Guess who’s the caller? Shu Er!

On the other end of the line: RenShao sees ShuEr slouching on the chair and reprimands her for the bad posture. She’s conceited, so she dismisses his reproach. ShuEr: “If I have such a bad posture, then why did you choose me to be your model? Is it because I look  like my sister? You first love?”

Drama Preview: 4 Gifts (Updated Part 2)

Just as I promised, here’s a detailed character description for Queen not Getting off Work, I mean 4 Gifts. Again, these are rough translations from Baidu. Yeah, I filed this under the preview category but I won’t be linking videos in this post. Just refer to the previous 2 4 Gifts Drama Previews for vids.  🙂 If you think, I made some mistakes in the description, please inform me.

CHARACTERS:

Ren Shao Ting (Nicholas Teo) – The Famous Fashion Designer.

His cold semblance masks a hardcore perfectionist. He may look carefree and laid-back, but he sure has an impossibly meticulous taste. He lives by his standard: “Do not fight if you have no chance of winning!” He is a well-known fashion designer in the industry. His puffed up self-confidence is a product of his undeniable ingenuity and creativity. These qualities, thereby, gets the attention of an equally arrogant fashion editor, Ruo Wei. And the two overconfident fashion icons continuously collide, producing a rather brilliant spark!l

Tong Jia Liang (Xiu Jie Kai)- The Police Officer.

Calm, easygoing, uninhibited. He has a strong sense of justice, faces each matter seriously and exudes a lot of “charm”. Haha!
When he was young, Jia Liang loved a girl named Irene. When Ren Shao transferred to his school, they became instant friends. And from then on, Jia Liang, Ren Shao and Irene (and some other buddies) were always together. Conflict and misunderstanding arises between Ren Shao and Jia Liang when Irene accidentally died.
After his father passed away, Jia Liang fulfilled his father’s dying wish and became a just and principled Police Officer. However, he’s seemingly ordinary life turned upside-down when he met a courageous public prosecutor (Ruo Tian). The two kept on bickering one day after another, totally unaware of a love that starts to bud.

Zhang Ruo Wei (Wang Xin-Ru)- The Fashion Queen.

A self-confident, optimistic, modern woman. She believes that beauty is also a weapon to succeed. Fashion, for her, comes as natural as drinking water. She knows how to appreciate beauty, which she may have inherited from her mother. Just as her motto implies: “There’s nothing I couldn’t do, unless, it’s something I don’t want to do!”, she is indeed undefeated and successful in everything. Until, she met Ren Shao.

When her “reputation” was challenged by the stubborn fashion designer, she immediately did everything to win the game. And to everyone’s surprise, the two unlikely couple fell in love. However, their love story may not be a smooth ride. As it happens, Ruo Wei’s younger sister, Ruo Yin, also liked Ren Shao. Caught in the middle, Ruo Wei must choose:  must she fight for her love or just give up?

Zhang RuoTian (LiKangyi) – The Justice Queen.

A brilliant, strong, and independent Prosecutor. She can’t stand injustice, and thereby, puts her heart and soul in her work. She already had the perfect life plan: pass the public prosecutor’s exam with flying colors, become an outstanding prosecutor, get married with her long-time boyfriend, then years later, have several children.  But somehow, her picture-perfect life may not be a happy ending after all. She may be competent at work, but she’s just another desperate lovestruck woman. She clings to an insincere love and “refuses to give up until all hope is gone”.

Due to a case, she met Jia Liang, and her squabble-filled days  with him begun. Days passed, and the bickering couple find themselves enjoying the sugar-coated wrangling routine.

Zhang Ruo Yin( Lu Jiaxin)- The Average Queen

Unlike her other sisters, Ruo Yin considers herself, rather ordinary. She doesn’t have big dreams or high hopes. She just wants to stay at home, do house chores and take care of her father. She has a good friend named Josh, who untiringly listens to her problems and  complaints, not knowing that Josh had always loved her “ordinariness”.  She likes Ren Shao. And together with Ruo Wei, she completes the complicated love triangle.

Zhang Ruo Yu (Suki Low )- The Imagination Queen

Kind, straightforward, eccentric. Since young, Ruo Yu always had a limitless, over-the-top viewpoint in life.

High School Debut Live-Action Leads Announced!

In August, it was announced that Kazune Kawahara’s manga “Koukou Debut” (“High School Debut”) is being turned into a live-action film. Now, the main cast members have been revealed: Junpei Mizobata (21) will co-star with fashion model Ito Ono (15), who is making her acting debut with this movie.

Ono will be playing the manga’s protagonist, a young girl who was completely absorbed in her club activities, but decides to change her image and her love life upon entering high school. Mizobata will play the upperclassman that becomes her coach and eventual love interest.

Tsutomu Hanabusa is directing the film, which is scheduled for release in spring 2011.

source: TOKOYOGRAPH

via: japan_now

Oh well, I’m a bit disappointed that Shida Mirai isn’t the lead. But then, I guess we’ll just give the other girl a fair chance. 🙂

Drama Preview: 4 Gifts (Updated)

Here’s a longer synopsis from Baidu. 🙂 These are just rough translations though. 🙂

SYNOPSIS:

The Zhang family has four daughters. When their mother passed away, she left behind four special gifts for each of her daughter: Scarf/Handkerchief, Mirror, Suitcase, and Pen.

The eldest daughter, Ruo Tian, a young workaholic prosecutor, received the scarf/handkerchief. The second daughter Ruo Wei, an arrogant assistant editor of a fashion magazine, a best-selling author and a fashion queen, received the mirror. The third daughter Ruo Yi, a plain and ordinary Office Lady who looks after household chores, received the luggage. And the fourth daughter Ruo Yu, a university philosophy student who always had strange ideas, received the pen.

The daughters don’t have the slightest idea of what these gifts mean. Their dad confessed that according to their mom, they will only understand the significance of these gifts when they experience happiness. But what is happiness? This is the mystery that the four daughters seek to find the out….

Dedicated queens fight hard, but how do they find a tough enough man worth of being their other half?

Additional video links from tudou. Just copy-paste. 🙂

http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/kaCjob5oXZM/

http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/zUVBZ_EJdus/

http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/iehRFbdR6Gc/

Additional video links from youtube.

I’ll be posting a detailed character description soon.

P.S. I’ll be using “4 Gifts” from now on. “Queen not Getting Off Work” is just too long.

Drama Preview: Q10

Undeniably, there’s a lot of good dramas to keep tabs on this Fall. I even doubt if I could catch up and  watch everything! But then, there’s this one jdrama which I find super interesting – Q10. With its unusual plot, I may be watching this jdrama all throughout. 🙂

Here’s the synopsis from tokyograph:

Sato plays Heita (Sato Takeru), an ordinary high school boy with a kind heart but no real interest in romance. His class is joined by a transfer student named Q10 (Maeda Atsuko), who looks like a girl but is actually a robot. Together, the two end up causing trouble at school, and Heita even begins falling for Q10. A kiss scene between the two is planned.

Well, it’s a bit similar to “Absolute Boyfriend”. But, who cares? I don’t.

And now, presenting the 15 second CM for Q10…

What really intrigues me in this CM is the freakin’ CORD. Even if I watch and re-watch it for a couple of times, I can’t really decipher the logic. What’s with the “orange” electric cord? Does it mean, Q10 must be recharged using a cord? Aren’t there any subtle ways? Besides, why does a robot need to go to school in the first place? Oh well, that’s just grabs my attention even more.

Q10 is set to premier on October 16.

Cr: Cube of Takeru