mt_10
Compared to the original 2001 version, the acting skills in 2018 version are stiff and bad.
I guess you're all gonna be emotional when you read my opinion, so to all the 2018 maniac fans, make sure you're tolerated enough to read this.
I have to say that those who give a very high rating to Meteor Garden 2018 are obviously those who never watch the 2001 version or those who maybe have watched the 2001 version but they only focus to the detailedness of the storyline rather than the acting skills of the cast from the 2001 version. They even have no idea how massive popular Barbie Hsu, Jerry Yan, and the other 2001 cast were back then, even almost all of their styles were copied by the audiences, and they have no idea that so many audiences can go crazy by watching the 2001 version because of the powerful sense of reality of the 2001 version, so shame on those people who never realized those things.
As a huge fan of the 2001 Taiwanese version, I'm totally disappointed of this 2018 version, even though I'm also a millenial like most of the fans of the 2018 version (I'm now 19 years old, so when the 2001 version came up, I was just born, but I swear I have watched the 2001 version for a million times till nowadays because I'm too blown away with the storyline and the brilliant acting skills of the 2001 version, thanks to my mom and grandma. I also have watched the Korean and Japanese versions, and actually I have no comment with those two versions.)
Don't get me wrong, my disappointment for the 2018 version is not just because I'm a fan of the 2001 version. But primarily it's because of the acting skills in the 2018 version which are all very stiff and terrible. When they perform, they look like the people who are memorizing the script. The 2018 F4 are too skinny and very feminine-looking (NOT MANLY at all). Even the Korean and Japanese F4 are far more and more manly and have better acting skills than the Chinese version. And I don't get it, how come they make Dylan's Dao Ming Si only a spoiled brat who doesn't look like a dangerous man, unlike in the manga?? Despite Dylan's good acting as Dao Ming Si as a newcomer, I still don't see the overall Domyouji Tsukasa's soul in him. Physically, yes, but in character, not really. Jerry Yan still the only one who owns that Domyouji's soul, even though he's not like the way Domyouji looks like physically, but if you watch the Taiwanese version and read the manga thouroughly, you can see the manga version of Domyouji totally comes out to life all-in-one in Jerry Yan. He could be a dangerous human being that everyone can fear, but also cute and funny when it comes to Shancai (Barbie Hsu).
For Hua Zhe Lei? Well this version of Hua Zhe Lei is nothing special. I agree to some comments saying he looks like a lost puppy here. Well he does. Why do I feel that he looks like Marilyn Monroe here? Too pretty to be Hua Zhe Lei and not manly at all. That's not how Hanazawa Rui looks like in my mind when I read the manga. Who owns the Hanazawa Rui's soul? I guess Vic Chou does, but also Shun Oguri in some of it. Many women could go crazy back then when it comes to Vic Chou.
For Shen Yue's Shancai, she is totally like an awkward and dumb person, she always looks confused and without self-confidence to fight. She just fights to get out of some awkward situations and her expression is like a frightened person. She always forces herself to be angry, but failed, because she always widens her eyes like a person who is always panicked when she faces a question or an obstacle. That makes her not like a fighter and warrior at all. You cannot blame me for saying these things, because we can see it clearly that such as Barbie Hsu's Shancai, Ku Hye Sun's Geum Jan-di, and Mao Inoue's Makino all equally and totally look like fighters and warriors who try to stand out against the bullying done by Jerry Yan's Dao Ming Si, Lee Min-ho's Gu Jun-pyo, and Jun Matsumoto's Domyouji with full of willpower. Shen Yue's Shancai rather looks like a foolish little kindergarten girl who actually doesn't know how to be a rebellion but pretend to be. That's because Shen Yue doesn't have that rebellious look in her eyes and she still brings her Chen Xiaoxi personality (from "A Love So Beautiful") to Meteor Garden, where Chen Xiaoxi totally has different personality with Shancai, so that makes her fight action look very forced and unnatural. I don't know, maybe it's because the 2018 version changes the red card to joker card so that the bullying can be toned down, thus making the 2018 Shancai weaker and more confused than the previous versions and even the manga. The 2018 Shancai is even like a cold fish when she is kissed by 2018 Dao Ming Si, there is no reaction from her, except just one and only in the final wedding scene. Unlike in the 2001 version and Japanese version that makes the audiences can go crazy and even pray for the lead characters (Jerry Yan-Barbie Hsu and Jun Matsumoto-Mao Inoue) to get married in real life when we see the way they kiss each other.
You cannot say that all of those are because the 2018 F4 and Shancai are still newbies in acting while the 2001 F4 and Shancai have been mature and experienced in acting. HELL NOOOO, because as a matter of fact, the 2001 F4 and Shancai were also newbies in acting back then. 2001 Meteor Garden was also their first major drama, but we can see that the 2001 F4 and Shancai can immediately bring their each characters to life and become their each characters in 2001 Meteor Garden. It totally made us feel that the characters of Shancai, Dao Ming Si, Hua Zhe Lei, Xi Men, and Mei Zuo were only made for the 2001 casts and still no other actors and actresses can beat and replace them till nowadays. So it's clear now who are good at acting when still newbies between the old casts and the new casts.
Also, the 2018 plot change is also a complete mess. I'm totally okay with the new story of Mei Zuo-Caina or there is no fake cousin story, but the most annoying thing is there's no comedic scenes in the 2018 version at all, unlike in the 2001 Taiwanese version who has many comedic scenes that makes us laugh so hard. Even when the 2018 Xi Men and Mei Zuo are trying to make a joke, it's totally NOT FUNNY AT ALL because it looks very forced and stiff. While obviously the 2001 Xi Men and Mei Zuo are more cheerful, playful, funnier, and they look almost like stand-up comedians when they are joking, so natural. If you haven't watched the 2001 version, I suggest you GO WATCH IT NOW, you're not gonna disappointed to see the 2001 Xi Men and Mei Zuo, even though the 2001 version's storyline is not as detailed as the 2018 version.
Many people say "Don't compare this 2018 version with the iconic 2001 version. Please appreciate the 2018 version!" HEY open your eyes! How can we not compare when the 2018 version is also called Meteor Garden and they are using the names of the iconic characters from the 2001 version who are obviously irreplaceable?? If they say don't compare Meteor Garden with Boys Over Flowers, it can be accepted, because they have different characters' names, title, and language. The 2018 casts even ruined the beauty and natural acting of a Shancai and the F4 with their bad and stiff acting skills, which makes the figures of Shancai and F4 who suppose to be charming and marvelous, become completely deteriorated, ohh shame on them. All those make the 2018 Meteor Garden a completely CHILDHOOD DESTROYER. I don't know why it all happens, maybe the producer and the director want to make that kind of lousy Meteor Garden version, that destroyed the audience's IQ, exactly just like what viewers say in Douban.
The only thing that can make me tolerate the rottenness of 2018 Meteor Garden is only its easy-listening and catchy soundtrack.
I have to say that those who give a very high rating to Meteor Garden 2018 are obviously those who never watch the 2001 version or those who maybe have watched the 2001 version but they only focus to the detailedness of the storyline rather than the acting skills of the cast from the 2001 version. They even have no idea how massive popular Barbie Hsu, Jerry Yan, and the other 2001 cast were back then, even almost all of their styles were copied by the audiences, and they have no idea that so many audiences can go crazy by watching the 2001 version because of the powerful sense of reality of the 2001 version, so shame on those people who never realized those things.
As a huge fan of the 2001 Taiwanese version, I'm totally disappointed of this 2018 version, even though I'm also a millenial like most of the fans of the 2018 version (I'm now 19 years old, so when the 2001 version came up, I was just born, but I swear I have watched the 2001 version for a million times till nowadays because I'm too blown away with the storyline and the brilliant acting skills of the 2001 version, thanks to my mom and grandma. I also have watched the Korean and Japanese versions, and actually I have no comment with those two versions.)
Don't get me wrong, my disappointment for the 2018 version is not just because I'm a fan of the 2001 version. But primarily it's because of the acting skills in the 2018 version which are all very stiff and terrible. When they perform, they look like the people who are memorizing the script. The 2018 F4 are too skinny and very feminine-looking (NOT MANLY at all). Even the Korean and Japanese F4 are far more and more manly and have better acting skills than the Chinese version. And I don't get it, how come they make Dylan's Dao Ming Si only a spoiled brat who doesn't look like a dangerous man, unlike in the manga?? Despite Dylan's good acting as Dao Ming Si as a newcomer, I still don't see the overall Domyouji Tsukasa's soul in him. Physically, yes, but in character, not really. Jerry Yan still the only one who owns that Domyouji's soul, even though he's not like the way Domyouji looks like physically, but if you watch the Taiwanese version and read the manga thouroughly, you can see the manga version of Domyouji totally comes out to life all-in-one in Jerry Yan. He could be a dangerous human being that everyone can fear, but also cute and funny when it comes to Shancai (Barbie Hsu).
For Hua Zhe Lei? Well this version of Hua Zhe Lei is nothing special. I agree to some comments saying he looks like a lost puppy here. Well he does. Why do I feel that he looks like Marilyn Monroe here? Too pretty to be Hua Zhe Lei and not manly at all. That's not how Hanazawa Rui looks like in my mind when I read the manga. Who owns the Hanazawa Rui's soul? I guess Vic Chou does, but also Shun Oguri in some of it. Many women could go crazy back then when it comes to Vic Chou.
For Shen Yue's Shancai, she is totally like an awkward and dumb person, she always looks confused and without self-confidence to fight. She just fights to get out of some awkward situations and her expression is like a frightened person. She always forces herself to be angry, but failed, because she always widens her eyes like a person who is always panicked when she faces a question or an obstacle. That makes her not like a fighter and warrior at all. You cannot blame me for saying these things, because we can see it clearly that such as Barbie Hsu's Shancai, Ku Hye Sun's Geum Jan-di, and Mao Inoue's Makino all equally and totally look like fighters and warriors who try to stand out against the bullying done by Jerry Yan's Dao Ming Si, Lee Min-ho's Gu Jun-pyo, and Jun Matsumoto's Domyouji with full of willpower. Shen Yue's Shancai rather looks like a foolish little kindergarten girl who actually doesn't know how to be a rebellion but pretend to be. That's because Shen Yue doesn't have that rebellious look in her eyes and she still brings her Chen Xiaoxi personality (from "A Love So Beautiful") to Meteor Garden, where Chen Xiaoxi totally has different personality with Shancai, so that makes her fight action look very forced and unnatural. I don't know, maybe it's because the 2018 version changes the red card to joker card so that the bullying can be toned down, thus making the 2018 Shancai weaker and more confused than the previous versions and even the manga. The 2018 Shancai is even like a cold fish when she is kissed by 2018 Dao Ming Si, there is no reaction from her, except just one and only in the final wedding scene. Unlike in the 2001 version and Japanese version that makes the audiences can go crazy and even pray for the lead characters (Jerry Yan-Barbie Hsu and Jun Matsumoto-Mao Inoue) to get married in real life when we see the way they kiss each other.
You cannot say that all of those are because the 2018 F4 and Shancai are still newbies in acting while the 2001 F4 and Shancai have been mature and experienced in acting. HELL NOOOO, because as a matter of fact, the 2001 F4 and Shancai were also newbies in acting back then. 2001 Meteor Garden was also their first major drama, but we can see that the 2001 F4 and Shancai can immediately bring their each characters to life and become their each characters in 2001 Meteor Garden. It totally made us feel that the characters of Shancai, Dao Ming Si, Hua Zhe Lei, Xi Men, and Mei Zuo were only made for the 2001 casts and still no other actors and actresses can beat and replace them till nowadays. So it's clear now who are good at acting when still newbies between the old casts and the new casts.
Also, the 2018 plot change is also a complete mess. I'm totally okay with the new story of Mei Zuo-Caina or there is no fake cousin story, but the most annoying thing is there's no comedic scenes in the 2018 version at all, unlike in the 2001 Taiwanese version who has many comedic scenes that makes us laugh so hard. Even when the 2018 Xi Men and Mei Zuo are trying to make a joke, it's totally NOT FUNNY AT ALL because it looks very forced and stiff. While obviously the 2001 Xi Men and Mei Zuo are more cheerful, playful, funnier, and they look almost like stand-up comedians when they are joking, so natural. If you haven't watched the 2001 version, I suggest you GO WATCH IT NOW, you're not gonna disappointed to see the 2001 Xi Men and Mei Zuo, even though the 2001 version's storyline is not as detailed as the 2018 version.
Many people say "Don't compare this 2018 version with the iconic 2001 version. Please appreciate the 2018 version!" HEY open your eyes! How can we not compare when the 2018 version is also called Meteor Garden and they are using the names of the iconic characters from the 2001 version who are obviously irreplaceable?? If they say don't compare Meteor Garden with Boys Over Flowers, it can be accepted, because they have different characters' names, title, and language. The 2018 casts even ruined the beauty and natural acting of a Shancai and the F4 with their bad and stiff acting skills, which makes the figures of Shancai and F4 who suppose to be charming and marvelous, become completely deteriorated, ohh shame on them. All those make the 2018 Meteor Garden a completely CHILDHOOD DESTROYER. I don't know why it all happens, maybe the producer and the director want to make that kind of lousy Meteor Garden version, that destroyed the audience's IQ, exactly just like what viewers say in Douban.
The only thing that can make me tolerate the rottenness of 2018 Meteor Garden is only its easy-listening and catchy soundtrack.
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