Posted 25 March 2008 - 01:04 AM
By: Linh.e.Pooh
Personally I didn't like Moses and Niki's collaboration in TGCI; as a single actor, neither of them did a bad job, but as a couple, there were too many missing chemical romances.
THE BREAKDOWN:
****** MOSES & NIKI ******
Moses's character really didn't appeal to me, but he did manage to do a job well enough that it kept me watching the series (just to see the outcome and to give it a chance to pick up my complete undivided attention; which I now say, was never met). Moses' performance was definitely not a 100% disappointment to me, but it did left me at a neutral state (which isn't good but not necessarily bad). Though his performance was amusing, I thought he failed me with some of his "unresponsive" and "apathetic" facial expressions (now that may be just me, but I was left with nothing but a few laughs).
As for Niki, I was never really impressed with any of her series prior to watching this series, but I did admit she did improve. But again, I was not pleasingly impressed with her entire ability as a whole. Though she managed to get my eyes opened, it was NOT enough to keep me entertained! It is irrefutable that she is cute and definitely female-lead compatible (based on looks alone), but I find her skills not impressing enough to deliver a performance fruitfully without a KNOWN and HIGHLY (let me emphasize that word "HIGHLY") extraordinary male lead; this male lead has to be capable of filling in the skills that she lacks and gaps that she misses. With this said, I thought Moses' acting (though good), was NEVER able to fill the wholes that Niki had left behind her. Therefore, their pairing had never met a pivotal point in the story. With that said, their chemistry (or should I say, LACK OF CHEMISTRY) made it impossible for me to feel fully entertained and the entire series became nothing more than something that would give me a simple minute of "a raising eyebrow" and "a gush of laughter."
Some people blamed that the reason the series wasn’t as delightfully delivered as the second installment was because the storyline wasn’t GOOD ENOUGH; though this may be true, I thought this reason could only account for the series’ lack of interest (on my part) with limitations. If Moses and Niki, both, was a “good enough actor (at the time)” than their performances might have had saved the series, OVERALL. But to my disappointment, neither one of their performances were strong enough to save the series. Neither one of the two actors had an adequate amount of acting talents that was able to become the backbone and/or a foundation for the series to relay on, ENTIRELY, due to its unsatisfying written script!
I am sorry if my post may be offensive, but I speak entirely on my thoughts when the series was released a few years ago; and though I’m sorry that my words may be offensive, but there isn’t a single ounce in me that is wholly sorry for what was written because they are my most honest thoughts about the series (TGCI).
****** STEVEN & YUMIKO ******
As for Yumiko; this series is the first series I’ve ever seen Yumiko in, and quite honestly I thought she was “uneasy” on the eyes; AT FIRST! Not only was her hairstyle AWFUL (like a Japanese doll, but weirder), her makeup was a bit overdone (making it look more like a doll). Aside from her physical appearance and costumes, I forced myself to dislike her even more than I should’ve because I thought she couldn’t compare to Niki – since, I know I personally think Niki is much more attractive than Yumiko.
Well, let me say I’ve soon released my dislike towards Yumiko, because I knew that my bias was unfair towards her; with it, I was also being unfair to the series, meaning again, I was being unfair to the rest of the casts. OK, so I tried to force myself to give Yumiko a chance… And to my amazement, I was able to let go of my awful grudge and was able to appreciate her acting more so than I did I first and A LOT SOONER THAN EXPECTED. Truthfully, though I still find her not to be the most attractive person – I think that if she was compared to the younger fa-dans; she’s not too far off! One thing I thought Yumiko had that was able to help her in this role is that there is a level of sincere innocence that I could sense from her (maybe it was because of her acting and/or maybe she does seem naïve and sweet, but I saw it NONETHELESS- And I wouldn’t deny it!)
Figuratively, if Niki was to portray the character of Chan Sui Mui, I couldn’t see myself falling for the character; she just doesn’t have the humor in her the way Yumiko does!
To all those who refuses to watch or to continue watching the series because of Yumiko; I think they’ve completely overlooked the issue of looks and should’ve given it a chance. But again, I can care less about that, because it is their lost if they cannot enjoy the series just for its beautifully written script! IMO, as one of her career opening series, Yumiko definitely didn’t fail miserably, nor was she even close to that! She was cute, bubbly, innocent, naive, and klutzy all the at right time and moment; though she should work a little bit more on her emotional scenes (she doesn’t seem too comfortable in those scenes, as compared to the more humorous ones).
I must give her some props; she looks really decent after her marriage with Steven. The way she dressed and her hairstyle; very different and DECENT. Truthfully, I didn’t expect to like that look, but I did. But again, as odd as it may seem, I did miss her older look. HAHA, let’s just say, I got used to it, OK?!
Steven, honestly, what else can I say but that he is a TERRIFIC actor with immeasurable talents?! Enough about Steven, I can gush on and on about how wonderfully talented this actor is, but actions speak more than words… You can see for yourself in his NUMEROUS series – good, evil, funny, romantic, cop, doctor, you name it, he’ll rock it!
With this obvious LOVE-LUST and gushing about how wonderful Steven is, I’ll say that he was the MAIN reason behind why this pairing was GREAT! Even though Yumiko was good as Chan Sui Mui and physically compatible with Steven, it was STEVEN, who made this relationship, WORK!
Connecting this with Moses and Niki’s pairing; I did mention that with Niki’s lack of perfection in her performances, she left holes that made the pairing, UNINTERESTING. And remember, I did mention that Moses’ ability though good, wasn’t good enough to fixate the damaged areas?! Well, this equation still applies to Steven and Yumiko’s pairing. BUT, with S&Y, though Yumiko’s acting lacks a few this and that, her performance overall was better in comparison to Niki’s during the time of TGCI. Despite her good performance, it wasn’t good enough to make the relationship completely interesting. This is where Steven comes into play… IMO, Steven’s acting is far more superior that Moses’, and because of this Steven was able to carry Yumiko through the series without making either of them seem uncomfortable!
Unlike Moses, Steven is one of the few capable actors out there that I could see carry a newbie and/or a “weak” actress through and through again, a series without leaving a noticeably erroneous path behind; with that, I applaud Steven!
OVERALL, the Steven and Yumiko’s pairing has my vote for most chemistry, most interesting, and most memorable (only when comparing between Moses and Niki). Though I enjoyed their coupling, they aren’t my very favorite pairing this year!
I APOLOGIES FOR MY LONG POST, I do tend to get carried away rather easily! SORRY!
THE BREAKDOWN:
****** MOSES & NIKI ******
Moses's character really didn't appeal to me, but he did manage to do a job well enough that it kept me watching the series (just to see the outcome and to give it a chance to pick up my complete undivided attention; which I now say, was never met). Moses' performance was definitely not a 100% disappointment to me, but it did left me at a neutral state (which isn't good but not necessarily bad). Though his performance was amusing, I thought he failed me with some of his "unresponsive" and "apathetic" facial expressions (now that may be just me, but I was left with nothing but a few laughs).
As for Niki, I was never really impressed with any of her series prior to watching this series, but I did admit she did improve. But again, I was not pleasingly impressed with her entire ability as a whole. Though she managed to get my eyes opened, it was NOT enough to keep me entertained! It is irrefutable that she is cute and definitely female-lead compatible (based on looks alone), but I find her skills not impressing enough to deliver a performance fruitfully without a KNOWN and HIGHLY (let me emphasize that word "HIGHLY") extraordinary male lead; this male lead has to be capable of filling in the skills that she lacks and gaps that she misses. With this said, I thought Moses' acting (though good), was NEVER able to fill the wholes that Niki had left behind her. Therefore, their pairing had never met a pivotal point in the story. With that said, their chemistry (or should I say, LACK OF CHEMISTRY) made it impossible for me to feel fully entertained and the entire series became nothing more than something that would give me a simple minute of "a raising eyebrow" and "a gush of laughter."
Some people blamed that the reason the series wasn’t as delightfully delivered as the second installment was because the storyline wasn’t GOOD ENOUGH; though this may be true, I thought this reason could only account for the series’ lack of interest (on my part) with limitations. If Moses and Niki, both, was a “good enough actor (at the time)” than their performances might have had saved the series, OVERALL. But to my disappointment, neither one of their performances were strong enough to save the series. Neither one of the two actors had an adequate amount of acting talents that was able to become the backbone and/or a foundation for the series to relay on, ENTIRELY, due to its unsatisfying written script!
I am sorry if my post may be offensive, but I speak entirely on my thoughts when the series was released a few years ago; and though I’m sorry that my words may be offensive, but there isn’t a single ounce in me that is wholly sorry for what was written because they are my most honest thoughts about the series (TGCI).
****** STEVEN & YUMIKO ******
As for Yumiko; this series is the first series I’ve ever seen Yumiko in, and quite honestly I thought she was “uneasy” on the eyes; AT FIRST! Not only was her hairstyle AWFUL (like a Japanese doll, but weirder), her makeup was a bit overdone (making it look more like a doll). Aside from her physical appearance and costumes, I forced myself to dislike her even more than I should’ve because I thought she couldn’t compare to Niki – since, I know I personally think Niki is much more attractive than Yumiko.
Well, let me say I’ve soon released my dislike towards Yumiko, because I knew that my bias was unfair towards her; with it, I was also being unfair to the series, meaning again, I was being unfair to the rest of the casts. OK, so I tried to force myself to give Yumiko a chance… And to my amazement, I was able to let go of my awful grudge and was able to appreciate her acting more so than I did I first and A LOT SOONER THAN EXPECTED. Truthfully, though I still find her not to be the most attractive person – I think that if she was compared to the younger fa-dans; she’s not too far off! One thing I thought Yumiko had that was able to help her in this role is that there is a level of sincere innocence that I could sense from her (maybe it was because of her acting and/or maybe she does seem naïve and sweet, but I saw it NONETHELESS- And I wouldn’t deny it!)
Figuratively, if Niki was to portray the character of Chan Sui Mui, I couldn’t see myself falling for the character; she just doesn’t have the humor in her the way Yumiko does!
To all those who refuses to watch or to continue watching the series because of Yumiko; I think they’ve completely overlooked the issue of looks and should’ve given it a chance. But again, I can care less about that, because it is their lost if they cannot enjoy the series just for its beautifully written script! IMO, as one of her career opening series, Yumiko definitely didn’t fail miserably, nor was she even close to that! She was cute, bubbly, innocent, naive, and klutzy all the at right time and moment; though she should work a little bit more on her emotional scenes (she doesn’t seem too comfortable in those scenes, as compared to the more humorous ones).
I must give her some props; she looks really decent after her marriage with Steven. The way she dressed and her hairstyle; very different and DECENT. Truthfully, I didn’t expect to like that look, but I did. But again, as odd as it may seem, I did miss her older look. HAHA, let’s just say, I got used to it, OK?!
Steven, honestly, what else can I say but that he is a TERRIFIC actor with immeasurable talents?! Enough about Steven, I can gush on and on about how wonderfully talented this actor is, but actions speak more than words… You can see for yourself in his NUMEROUS series – good, evil, funny, romantic, cop, doctor, you name it, he’ll rock it!
With this obvious LOVE-LUST and gushing about how wonderful Steven is, I’ll say that he was the MAIN reason behind why this pairing was GREAT! Even though Yumiko was good as Chan Sui Mui and physically compatible with Steven, it was STEVEN, who made this relationship, WORK!
Connecting this with Moses and Niki’s pairing; I did mention that with Niki’s lack of perfection in her performances, she left holes that made the pairing, UNINTERESTING. And remember, I did mention that Moses’ ability though good, wasn’t good enough to fixate the damaged areas?! Well, this equation still applies to Steven and Yumiko’s pairing. BUT, with S&Y, though Yumiko’s acting lacks a few this and that, her performance overall was better in comparison to Niki’s during the time of TGCI. Despite her good performance, it wasn’t good enough to make the relationship completely interesting. This is where Steven comes into play… IMO, Steven’s acting is far more superior that Moses’, and because of this Steven was able to carry Yumiko through the series without making either of them seem uncomfortable!
Unlike Moses, Steven is one of the few capable actors out there that I could see carry a newbie and/or a “weak” actress through and through again, a series without leaving a noticeably erroneous path behind; with that, I applaud Steven!
OVERALL, the Steven and Yumiko’s pairing has my vote for most chemistry, most interesting, and most memorable (only when comparing between Moses and Niki). Though I enjoyed their coupling, they aren’t my very favorite pairing this year!
I APOLOGIES FOR MY LONG POST, I do tend to get carried away rather easily! SORRY!
Tamaya: I can’t comment on Moses and Niki’s collaboration as I haven’t watched TGCI, but I have always preferred Steven’s acting to Moses’. But to be fair, sometimes even top-notch actors/actresses can’t save a badly written script. But I did enjoy reading your review, as I do most well-expressed and substantiated posts regardless of my own pov, which may or may not changed after such reading.
I may be one of the few who watched Yumiko with no preconception. Because I like Steven and his series, I will always reserve opinions on his female co-stars until actual viewing. But I’ve to say although Yumiko’s acting was decent; she has far to go yet in that dept.. But her Sai Mui was indeed well performed; imo, like you say she was: “cute, bubbly, innocent, naive, and klutzy all the at right time and moment; though she should work a little bit more on her emotional scenes (she doesn’t seem too comfortable in those scenes, as compared to the more humorous ones).”
I tend not to comment too much on Steven or his acting because of my partiality to him, which unfortunately can lead to overly saccharine gushing. So enough said about him here. But whatever you said about him, I totally concur.
“Though I enjoyed their coupling, they aren’t my very favorite pairing this year!” You don’t say!!(Gasp!) :lol?:
I may be one of the few who watched Yumiko with no preconception. Because I like Steven and his series, I will always reserve opinions on his female co-stars until actual viewing. But I’ve to say although Yumiko’s acting was decent; she has far to go yet in that dept.. But her Sai Mui was indeed well performed; imo, like you say she was: “cute, bubbly, innocent, naive, and klutzy all the at right time and moment; though she should work a little bit more on her emotional scenes (she doesn’t seem too comfortable in those scenes, as compared to the more humorous ones).”
I tend not to comment too much on Steven or his acting because of my partiality to him, which unfortunately can lead to overly saccharine gushing. So enough said about him here. But whatever you said about him, I totally concur.
“Though I enjoyed their coupling, they aren’t my very favorite pairing this year!” You don’t say!!(Gasp!) :lol?:
related post:-
Akazukin: All in all, I have this feeling that no matter whom Steven is paired with, even when the actress is so helpless at acting that she can't even squeeze out an emotion, heck even if he pairs up with a wood, he will still be able to carry off those deep emotional scenes to the fullest. But of course, as audiences, at least me, I would feel distracted from the other side's bad acting (just like Sheren Tang and Kate Tsui in LFD).
Tamaya: IIrc, I've read a similar thought to yours in TGC2 and elsewhere about Steven's amazing ability to carry newbie and/or a weak actress in a series and somehow make their relationship work in a series.
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