My Date With a Vampire
After the success of Vampire Experts 1 and 2 in the early 90s, ATV once again attempted to film what it has always been best at - vampire dramas in 1998. And true enough, this decision was proven right for My Date With A Vampire did not let us and them down. Hogging the headlines, making a clean sweep of the awards and most incredibly, even posing a formidable threat to its superior rival station are instances of its astounding popularity in Hong Kong, and in other Asian countries.
Before watching My Date With A Vampire, one might be mistaken into thinking that this serial is simply a rip off of Vampire Expert but no, there is no similarity at all, maybe just the occasional reference to Mao Xiaofang, the exorcist in Vampire Expert, portrayed flawlessly by late veteran actor, Lin Zhenying, as a form of remembrance and respect. For once in Chinese series, we see not the familiar traditional vampires donning Qing attire, jumping around but instead cool and modern ones who can even fly around at amazing speed. At times, while watching this serial, we wish we were vampires instead for they seem to be so stylish and powerful. And yes, the vampires depicted in this serial, like humans have emotions too.
What makes this serial a classic of its genre are the extravagant effects, the forever stylish costumes, the intricate plots (many sub stories and a main one), and also the most excruciating love triangle (Tianyou, Zhenzhen and Xiaoling) ever. All the artistes portrayed their respective roles in exactly the manner required. This serial has revived Eric Wan and Joey Meng's careers, elevated Kristy Yang's popularity status to another level and made people notice Kenneth Chan.
Do not feel inferior when you see the unique image of Ma Xiaoling, the stylish vampire slayer, brandishing her sword while exorcising spirts and yet at the same time remaining composed and cool, A trademark would be her mini skirts which gives her a chance to exhibit her beautiful and slender 42-inch long legs that make guys gaze in awe and girls full of envy. But then on second thought, wouldn't wearing mini skirts impede her job of catching spirits?
Also, never mind the seemingly absurd changes made to the classic legend of the White Snake (What? White Snake??). Yes, the creative scriptwriter has arranged for White Snake to open a Waiting Bar in the 90s. The name is such because she is waiting for the reincarnation of her lover Xu Xian, who turns out to be the 41st descendent of the Ma Clan. And Monk Fahai is even transported from the past to the present to once again wreck their love relationship. But the scriptwriter does attempt to retain some elements of the legend like the most famous scene, "Flooding of Jinshan Temple." Oops, forgot to mention, because it is set in the modern era, so the venue has changed to - Jiajia Building. Anyway, if you are not one who is particular about facts, this serial is really a treat of high entertainment value.
The most unforgettable parts would be in the last 10 episodes or so. Unexpected and exciting events just flash on the screen one after another, leaving viewers no moment to pause and ponder. I did not get bored watching them and sometimes, I felt the urge to keep on watching episode after episode. The ending gives people a deja-vu feeling. It seems as if the scriptwriter had already anticipated the success of this drama and was thus planning to pave the way for a sequel. Anyway, overall, My Date With A Vampire 1 is definitely one of the better TV dramas ever produced.
