Marmalade Boy

How long
30 episodes (18 VCDs)

Foreword
This is another drama serial by one of the F4 members. The story was pretty funny at first. But slowly it started to wither off a bit. Anyway, I decided to buy it since someone recommended it.

Cast:
Xiao Shi Chuan Family
Stella Huang: Guang Xi
Zeng Guocheng: Ren
Guo Jingchun: Liu Mei

Song Pu Family
Ken Zhu: You
Zhang Zhiwei: Yao Shi
Er Shuru: Qianlizi

Other characters
Gao Hao Jun: Yin Tai
Ling Liwen: Mingzi
Ling Lifei: Yalishi
Guo Shibian: Wu
Xu Junhao: Wushi
Wu Zhong Tian: Xiao Ming

Summary
Guangxi is a normal 18 year old girl, cheerful and bubbly. However, her life is turned upside down when her parents announce that they are going to get a divorce and swap partners with You's parents. They all live in a big house after that. Her love life then takes a turn when she meets the charming You. She has been in love with Yin Tai since the early days. She doesn't know that Yin Tai is also secretly in love with her.
Another girl then comes along, Yalishi, who is in love with You.Anyway Yin Tai starts to like her and everyone ends up happily ever after.

Comments on characters/story

1. Guang Xi - Stella Huang
The main character in the story. An 18 year old girl who is bubbly and lively. Someone who cannot hide her emotions well unlike You who is the direct opposite of her. She actually likes Yin Tai before You came along. The reason why she fell in love with tennis was also because of Yin Tai. Anyway, she starts to fall in love with You . However she can't let go of Yin Tai as well.

Guangxi strikes me as a very indecisive girl. She constantly tries to hold on to both You and Yin Tai because she can't make up her mind. Absolutely cannot stand it. Until Yalishi comes along, she then realises that she actually likes You and decides to give up Yin Tai. Personally, I think she doesn't deserve anybody. Both of them are too good for her. I mean, what do they see in her? Just found it weird that she can have a change of heart so easily. Just because You was good-looking, she fell in love with him and forgot about Yin Tai fully.

Anyway back to her. Guangxi then starts a relationship with You. She contemplates telling her parents about it but she remembers Liu Mei, her mother, telling her NEVER to fall in love with You. Both of them keep the relationship under wraps. You then realises that Ren is actually his real father. Hence he tries to break up with Guangxi. Guangxi, not knowing the truth, is shattered when heartbroken. She tries to get over him when he leaves school to get over her. Going out with another man and so on. But she is still unable to get over him. You then breaks the truth to her and they spend one last day together. Their parents then find out about their relationship and tell them the truth behind You's real father. It turns out that Yao Shi is his father and You made a mistake. Then Guangxi ends up with You happily ever after.

Stella Huang - Not really the most suitable candidate for this role. But she was ok for a beginner. However there were some parts when she over-acted. Like in the first part (episode 2) when she was warning You about not revealing their family background. She twisted her mouth so much it really looked weird on her. She has this crunched up face all the time. I tend to focus more on the facial expressions when they act. I found that her facial expressions were quite good. She is quite good being funny but she absolutely CANNOT do emotional scenes. I could not stand her when she was crying. She is too short as well. She is like a head shorter than Ken. It looks weird because when You attempted to kiss Guangxi, he has to lean like 90 degrees down to reach her. It was so hilarious I almost fell off the chair while watching it.

2. You – Ken Zhu
Also 18 years old. Total opposite of Guangxi. Tends to bottle up his feelings. Always tries to portray a happy-go-lucky figure. In actual fact, he is a very deep person who hides his feelings. A supposedly sensible kid. Although he does not like seeing his parents divorce, he still appears happy about it in order not to let them be affected by him. We can see that he actually liked Guangxi from the beginning. Always trying to protect her and comforting her when she is down. He even climbs to her room to check that she is ok. But he is afraid to get too close to anybody. He does not want people to enter and know his inner feelings. Which was perhaps why he rejected Yalishi because she knew him too well. He then starts a relationship with Guangxi. After learning Ren was his real father, he cruelly tries to break up with Guangxi. But ends up together with her again.

Ken Zhu - First time I saw him was in Meteor Garden. I felt that he pulled off that role quite well. However he didn’t pull off You very well. Most of the time his facial expressions were like practically blank. When Yalishi and Guangxi professed their love, he only had a blank face. He looks better with short hair. Looks really untidy with long hair tying it up and stuff. His lines are really funny though. Making fun of everybody esp Guangxi. I seriously crack up whenever he says his lines. But its not because he is funny. Its just because his lines are funny.

3. Yin Tai – Gao Hao Jun
In the same class as You and Guangxi. Likes Guangxi at first. However due to a misunderstanding, he makes her think that he only treats her as a friend. Anyway, he tries to snatch her away from You. Making her feel jealous by dating Yalishi. Its funny when he is constantly jealous of You especially when You plays tennis so well and he is so good in everything. Yin Tai feels You makes him look bad. Interesting to see him and You squabbling. Cracks me up.
He then falls in love with Yalishi after Guangxi starts a relationship with You. He doesn’t profess his love because his cousin likes Yalishi as well. So he tries to procrastinate. But in the end, Yalishi fell in love with him and they end up happily ever after.

Gao Hao Jun - Wooden acting. Did not like his acting at all. His face was always blank as well. Far worse than Ken. He sort of reminds me of Vic Zhou from F4. I don’t know! Is it the way they talk or move? I don’t know. But they really act the same. Anyway, he didn’t pull off his character well. He is so stiff and you can see that he is not really comfortable acting or something. I almost skipped the parts he was acting because it was so boring. He had zero chemistry with the girl acting as Yalishi. Bad, bad acting indeed.

4. Mingzi - Ling Liwen
Guangxi’s best friend. However, she does not tell Guangxi her secrets and her affair with Xiao Ming Teacher. Quite caring to her friends. Smart and intelligent. In the Literacy club. Falls in love with her form teacher. In the later part of the story, a guy falls in love with her, Wushi. Despite his efforts to woo her, Mingzi rejects him and finally marries her teacher. I would have liked it better if she has ended up with Wushi. They look better together. And this couple was quite funny at times. Actually she also looks quite good with Yin Tai. I thought that they would have ended up together.

Ling Liwen - Acted in many idol dramas before. Ok here. Not really blown off by her performances but she is better in emotional scenes. Not good in comical scenes. Zero chemistry with the teacher. But I liked her better in MVP. I think she acts better as a scheming person with a beautiful face. More chance to show her potential. She looks really frail in this show.

5. Yalishi – Ling Lifei
The girl who falls in love with You. She sticks to him all the time thinking that she can get You to go back to her side. When she finds out that You does not like her, she uses Yin Tai to make You and Guangxi jealous. However she fails but she falls in love with Yin Tai instead.

Ling Lifei- S’porean who has acted in a few dramas before. I don’t know why but I found her quite irritating in this show. I didn’t like the way she portrayed the character. Her acting is so so.

6. Guo Shibian – Ah Wu
Someone who likes Yalishi a lot. In love with her for very long time but always rejected by her. Very comical acting. He really stands out. He is so good being funny. You pity him when he does not end her end up with Yalishi. So sad.

7. The 4 parents
Didn’t like Liu Mei. Bad acting. Very squeaky and childish. Guangxi looked more mature than her.
Ren was quite good. I liked him. Quite funny might be due to the fact that he is a popular variety host.
Qianlizi was bad at comical scenes. Better at emotional scenes.
Yaoshi. Average acting. Nothing much to say.

Conclusion

If you want a comedy, this is quite a good show to watch, especially the first part. However, get ready for some bad acting from almost all the actors. The lines are pretty funny though and the storyline is quite unusual. If you want a change from normal idol dramas watch this show. But the title of the show does not really connect with the show itself. There was only one mention of the marmalade throughout the whole story. So I don’t really see the connection.

I find the ending really dumb. I agree with another reviewer that they should have just clarified with their parents. But the story just drags and drags. Anyway, if you have nothing else to do or, if you just need something to crack you up, rent or buy the show.