MARS

No, I'm talking about the planet. It's a drama that I recently discovered that at this moment has torn, halved, tormented, shredded my heart and soul. The name is actually based on the Roman god but this drama is in fact made in Taiwan. It's foreign. It can be found subbed in English but spoken in Mandarin Chinese. It is probably the best foreign drama that I have seen so far or probably ever. Hell, not just foreign, but any drama ever.





It is based off a manga...a Japanese manga of the same name. It's about a girl (Qilou) who was raped at 16 by her stepfather. From that moment on has never accepted the help or want of male companionship. Afraid of her own shadow, lived in fear of all things. Her world was lived only through art and her paintings. It's about a guy (Ling)who had his own family problems. His twin brother committed suicide and left him empty. Out of fear and loneliness became a womanizer. He used women for sexual gratification and never could find love because of it. His mother also committed suicide prior to his twin brother. And come to find out his dad, isn't his dad, but his uncle. And through it all...a psycopath who is hell bent on destroying him.

It's not just a story of those two characters but about trust, family, love, hate, fear, suicide and recovery. This story was so well acted and written. I can't stop thinking of them.

I know, I know I'm an Asian freak. I love all things that come from there. But this....this story should not be repelled because it isn't spoken in English. I've come to realize that I'm the worst kind of naive American. We Americans, though living on a continent with countries above and below us, act as if we are the only country in the middle of the ocean. Our houses made of gold and silver. Our bodies made of steel. We repel all things non-US. We say we don't but we do. Nobody realizes that other countries embrace other countries other than their own. We Americans only watch American made shows on TV unless it's specifically a channel on cable that allows us to see another culture. Yeah, yeah....we have Spanish channels out the wazzoo. I'm talking another continent people. Did you know other countries see American made television with subs? We don't have subbed television. Why? It sickens me to see that all these wonderful shows that I watch online aren't seen on main stream American television. Totally sickens me. There is so much we could learn from other countries. Heck, I learned a few basic words to get me by in Japan, China and Korea. Not alot but enough. And just by watching these shows online. But, I digress...............

MARS should be seen even if you can't stand reading subs. It's a beautiful story. Okay, okay...and let's not forget that Ling is HOT, HOT, HOT. And because these are seen online..not all the video quality is satisfactory. We have to depend on private fansubs to do these for English speakers. Three of the 21 episodes were not in sync with sound and timing. Ah well. I do what I have to do.

This will not be the only Asian show I review. I've seen so many. So many beautiful, funny stories. Not seen on American television. Ugh. So tired of reality TV. There is only so much American Idol and Dancing with the Stars I can take. The writers strike....well, I thank you! It made me bored enough to find other things...and I found awesome works better than American television could ever produce. So thank you! Expect more reviews in the future.

Recommended dramas:
The Coffee Prince-Korean......(the second forein drama I watched...excellent)
It Started with a Kiss 1&2-Taiwan/Chinese
Bad Couple-Korean
Full House-Korean
Sweet 18-Korean
Hana Kimi-Japanese
Hana Yori Dango 1&2-Japanese
Itazura Na Kiss (It Started with a Kiss...the original before the Chinese got ahold of it)-Japanese
Remote-Japanese
Nodame Cantabile-Japanese (the very first drama....and next to MARS....my favorite)
Meteor Garden 1&2 (the Taiwanese version of Hana Yori Dango)-Taiwan/Chinese
My Lucky Star-Taiwan/Chinese....another AWESOME one!!
Smiling Pasta-Taiwan/Chinese...very funny and loveable.

My next on my list to see.....Sweet Sensation-Taiwan/Chinese. The actor (Vic Zhou) who played Ling is in this one. Got to see it!