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venusleontios55555 · 7 months

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Best Fictional Characters to date (not ranked) Part - 2!

1. Ian Miller (My Big Fat Greek Wedding): John Corbett has portrayed Ian Millers' character fantastically. Perhaps one of the greenest flags in movie history, Ian is a kind and gentle teacher who falls in love with a Greek woman named Toula. Who comes from a conservative but highly loving Greek family. In order to be with the woman he loves, he was ready to be baptised and accepted by her family without hesitation. He also never once berated her or gave up on her family and was the most loving and kindest husband anyone could get. (He is really underrated though)

2. Hua Cheng (Heaven Officials Blessing): My Heaven Officials Blessing's fans know that Hua Cheng is the definition of the word Green Flag only for Xie Lian. This man defeated 33 military gods for Xie Lian, DIES multiple times for this man only to be reincarnated, and is one of the most loving and loyal people in the fictional world. Ps: my favorite quote by Hua Cheng right before he dies again (don't worry he reincarnates is " I am forever your most devoted believer". God, I am crying again.

3. Leo Valdez (Heroes of Olympus): HE DIED TO GO BACK TO OGYGIA! I REPEAT HE DIED TO GO BACK TO OGYGIA! JUST TO SAVE CALYPSO!!!! (From what I remember), THIS MAN IS SO ADORABLE!!!!! I CAN'T EVEN DESCRIBE HIM. OH MY GOD. (I am hyperventilating send help).

4. Harry Cameron (The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo): Even though he was not exactly an official love interest. Harry Cameron is the kind of friend everyone needs. He was kind, patient, and understanding and stood by Evelyn through every moment of her life. he even agreed to be Evelyn's beard so she could be with Celia, and he could be with the quarterback he fell in love with John. And (not my words) " their friendship and love was so genuine that at some point it causes Monique to think that the actual platonic soulmates are Evelyn and Harry"

5. Niles Crane (Frasier): Before anyone tells me Niles was creepy... zip it. I know he was a tiny bit creepy. But also remember this was a sitcom in the 90s! It was usually shown as a form of comedy. And considering other fictional characters (as far as my knowledge goes). Niles Crane was the sweetest and the nicest character who wholeheartedly fell in love with Daphne. Even though at the start the audience was led to believe that he only fell for Daphne for her looks... it was not exactly true, as throughout the series we see him pursue her, care for her, and try to make every dream of hers come true. (Like going to England to get her dad). And even when she gained 60 pounds he never even mocked her or taunted her, instead he never even noticed her weight gain or appearance till she fell on the floor and could not get up. This is quite interesting because 90s and early 2000s sitcoms always made it a point to make fun of fat female characters. (Ok now I know Frasier and Martin had made unsavory remarks but this is about Niles's treatment of Daphne). But I did not like the way he treated Mel.

" KEEP YOUR STANDARDS AS HIGH AS THE SKY"

PS: This was just my opinion, I am sure everyone feels differently

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puniyo · 4 years

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Winter Begonia 鬢邊不是海棠紅 A philosophical-look-a-like Review

(contains minor spoilers for the series)

Synopsis: This is the story between a Peking opera performer and a businessman who discover the meaning of being soulmates amidst the turbulent times of the Republican era and the Japanese occupation before WWII.

「你知道什麼是知音嗎？」

「我知道，我一直在聽。」

“Do you know what a soulmate is? (Do you what the sound/voice of a soulmate is?)“

“I know, I have listening to it since ever (I have met you).”

My thoughts on the plot and production:

Before I started watching this drama, I had read a few articles saying how this drama was similar to 霸王別姬 (Farewell, My Concubine), and I confess I was a little reticent in watching it. This is one of my favorite movies ever and Leslie Cheung’s performance in it is imprinted in my mind forever, so to see an extended version of the movie with added drama was definitely not my plans.

Oh, how wrong I was!

This is definitely one of the best dramas this year, if not one of the best Chinese Republican era dramas ever to be produced. The story for Winter Begonia is based on a novel with the same name and although the author has expressed being inspired by Farewell, My Concubine, the two plots are very different and each have their own defining characteristics. Here, we have a talented Peking opera performer, 商細蕊 Shang Xirui (portrayed by 尹正 Yin Zheng) , who sees himself thrown into the envious schemes of fellow artists while at the same time sees himself facing the prejudice and disdain of those who think that performing is a cheap and vulgar art. On the other side of the scale, we have a wealthy head of a family, 程鳳台 Cheng Fengtai (portrayed by 黃曉明 Huang Xiaoming), who is conformed with a materialistic lifestyle without much meaning. By the hands of fate, their lives intermingle and they develop a bond based on their love for Peking opera – for Shang Xirui, performing is his life; for Cheng Fentai, it brings him freedom.

Without touching the spoilers trenches, the plot has a good mixture of comical moments while the subtle messages of how important art is, how Peking opera is a pillar of the Chinese artforms, and most crucial, how difficult is to find a soulmate in this life, and how we must cherish it when we find it. I absolutely love how Shang Xirui explains in the earlier that episodes that “a soulmate is someone closer to you than your siblings, than your own parents, than your own lover.” It is such an abstract concept but at the same time so powerful. It transcends the commonalities of love fixed by gender roles, fixed by the contractual idea of a marriage, fixed by the ideal that your “lover” is your most important person in this life. This is one the messages that has truly touched me in this series and for the first, I felt that this is something I want in my life – a soulmate. Now, whether I have the 緣分 fate (this is a word that is really impossible to be translated) to meet one, I don’t know, but it does make one feel nostalgic for something that we have never experienced.

As the story unfolds, there is also the subplot of the Peking opera. I am not a fan of Peking opera, never was to be honest (my grandfather was an avid supporter and I remember he watching at least one play or part of a play every night), but if there is one thing that this series does it to make you appreciate this art form and understand how tough it is to be a performer. There is an element of innate talent, then you need to proper nurturing to develop your voice – there is a huge difference between female 花旦 hua dan roles and male 生 sheng roles. You need to have a very solid base in martial arts, you need to know how to act, how to be minute about every single detail. There is so much to Peking opera, so many hardships that one must go through that I will never ever call it ‘a cacophony of sounds’ again. And being half a Chinese myself, I really learned that culture is something we must cherish and protect because it is truly part of our identity, of the identity of our ancestors, and we have had enough of Westernized media and wrong portrayals.

And being a Republican era drama, one would expect propaganda and endless love letters to the country. It does have a certain amount of patriotism, that cannot be avoided anywhere, but it is not the focus and definitely not the main driving point of the plot, like in countless other dramas of a similar genre. This is truly the story of two people brought together by fate. This is a story about human beings and how relationships between us affect our lives. This is a story about karma.

Also, have I mentioned the gorgeous cinematography? My words will never do it justice so I won’t even elaborate on this. If you have doubts about what true beauty is, do yourself a favor and watch this drama.

My thoughts on the characters:

Well, it is actually on one character only. It is not that I do not want to mention the others (might do it at a later time), but all my love is for Shang Xirui and I don’t think there is any left for the others. Shang Xirui is your best example of a childlike adult. He is stubborn and obstinate about performing and everything related to how he and his troupe will look on the stage. He refuses to bow and apologize unless he is wrong. He sulks in his room, curls into a ball when something beyond his abilities happens. He scolds Cheng Fengtai while he shamelessly keeps eating the snacks given to him. He beats people, he applies physical punishment, but he will not think twice before saving his own people. He is too innocent, believing that people will do good when they can choose bad. He does not act, he breathes the characters of his plays.

There is a proper development to his character that many dramas lack. We accompany him through his journey of becoming a well-known and loved figure in Beiping to his trips and falls and how he rises from them, stronger, more mature, and also more human. I loved how he is this unyielding spirit who has to rely on himself and his art to survive. He is illiterate, he can’t do bookkeeping (neither can I, but who can in this world? :P), and his world is confined to Peking opera. There are many instances that we and Shang Xirui wonder ‘what else can he (I) do? What else can he (I) do when the war comes?’ And yet, despite this, he is no damsel in distress needing to be saved. He is not a victim, as he mentions, he is a Hero, with a capital ‘H’. He never once drops to the level of vulgar comments and the more people criticized Peking opera, the more he will prove to people that this art form is worth it. There is one instance when Shang Xirui is ‘teaching’ (well, I would prefer the term ‘provide guidance’ here) to his apprentice and he says (not translated word by word but general gist):

“People say that the stories we sell on stage are fake but they are more than real for those who come to watch. No matter if it is a man, no matter if it is a woman, no matter if you are singing 生 sheng, no matter if you are singing 旦 dan, all of it is our pride. If we want those who come to watch us laugh, they will laugh. If we want those who come to watch us cry, they will cry. Who in this world has this power? Yes, it was the emperor. We too are emperors!’

It was such a short speech, less than three minutes I think, and I shed tears.

One last point before I go, I had first noticed Yin Zheng when I watched 他來了，請閉眼 Love Me, If You Dare and he was terrific in 原生之罪 Original Sin, but he is at his best here, in Winter Begonia. I’m very picky when it comes to actors and I seldom find one that catches my eye (except for 白宇 Bai Yu who is another actor that I truly love and who truly knows how to act) but if someone deserves an actor for best actor this year so far, it is him. Yin Zheng managed to convey the delicacy and finesse of the dan roles on the stage while being childish and exuding charisma off it. There is a dichotomy to Shang Xirui that is channeled through the intense eye gazes, the mannerism of the hands, the way of walking, the subtle smiles and, most heartbreaking, the way he cries. I hope this proves to be a pivotal role for Yin Zheng and I’m my way of devouring his work from now on.

For now, let me go back to my corner and continue crying. Why did this series have to end?

#winter begonia #鬢邊不是海棠紅 #鬓边不是海棠红 #yin zheng #尹正 #huang xiaoming #黃曉明 #reviews #cdrama #give more love to Yin Zheng please

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