Jiang Xiao Hua lived in a happy sheltered (and unfashionable) bubble until her childhood friend Jia Si Le, now a handsome and successful heir to a cosmetic empire, returns to Taiwan to pursue her. She doesn’t fit into his high-class world, so she decides to blackmail a sharp tongued yet extremely successful beauty consultant, Tang Men, into giving her a make over.
Main Characters
- Jiang Xiao Hua (蔣小花) is the female lead. Xiao Hua’s sense of style is, in a word, unfashionable. Tang Men nicknames her Miss Christmas Tree (聖誕樹小姐) because of her colorful layers and over the top accessories. Her “blind optimism” and naiveté causes her to trust and see the best in everyone, even the ones who want to undermine her. Jiang Xiao Hua also loves to tell jokes (講笑話: pronounced similar to her name). Pay attention to her clothes, shoes, and accessories throughout the drama. Played by Rainie Yang (楊丞琳).
- Tang Men (唐門) is the male lead. He is an extremely talented and ambitious stylist with “magic hands” and his own make over show. His biting honesty and perfectionism have left him with very few friends. He also has a strained relationship with his parents. There are a lot of word plays in the drama with Tang Men’s name: proverbs with the word door (門), window in Taiwanese (唐阿門), famous warriors in Sichuan, China (四川唐門) and so on. Played by Wilber Pan (潘瑋柏).
- Jia Si Le (賈思樂) is the supporting male. Nicknamed Fatty Jia (賈肥) as a child Xiao Hua was his only friend. While attending college in Japan, he met Tang Men, who became his best friend, and taught him how to eat healthy and lose weight. His name sounds like the words “fake death” (假死了). Played by Dean Fujioka (藤岡靛).
- Jiang Mi (江蜜) is the supporting female. She is a “high-class” and sophisticated lady who is in love with Jia Si Le. She comes up with a number of schemes to divert his attention from Xiao Hua, but finds herself the frequent victim of unexpected “accidents.” Played by Michelle Chen (陳妍希).
Minor Characters
I didn’t really love any of the minor characters in this one. The three most important minor characters are Xiao Hua’s father, Jiang Da Shu (蔣大樹), played by Jian Chang (檢場); Xiao Hua’s grandmother, Granny Jiang (蔣阿嬤), played by Wen Ying (文英); and Jia Si Le’s mother, Zhu Ya An (祝 雅安) played by Xi Man Ning (席曼寧). Each of these characters had a complex past full of secrets which made the side plots, plot twists, and various misunderstandings interesting to watch. However, they were all also extremely paternalistic. But on balance, even though the minor characters weren’t dazzling, they still did a decent job spicing up the drama.
Music (OST)
- Other Featured Songs: 同一個遺憾 (The Same Regret) – 潘瑋柏 (Wilber Pan) & 紀佳松 (Blue J), 太煩惱 (Too Troubled) – 楊丞琳 (Rainie Yang)
- Overall: The two lead actors performed all four main songs for the drama. Each singer/actor had both a serious and a fun song to match their characters. I liked all four songs, but I think Rainie came out a bit stronger here.
Entertainment Review
Great drama, but not for everyone. Rainie’s acting, hair, voice, and crazy “Taiwanese accent” are very over the top. But that’s what makes the show charming. Check out the behind the scenes footage and the NGs (bloopers). They were hilarious. Wilbur was my favoriteoff-camera personality by far.
Language
Level: Advanced.
Topics: beauty (hair, make up, fashion, accessories), insults, jokes, word plays and puns.
Note: Rainie’s Taiwanese accent, Dean’s Japanese accent (although really cute), and Wilbur’s “fast talking” might be a bit difficult for an intermediate listener.