reposted from AF#230
'Sneezer', on 28 Apr 2010 - 11:57 PM,
Start watching Return of Cuckoo, wow all the cast look so young back then, probably except Nancy Sit.. she looks the same!!! I think it's like 10 years old but still really enjoy the storyline. The acting is a little sophmoric. ChiLam stood out and Steven is so into his zone playing this good guy character... I can see why so many like him through the character he played. At some scenes, the face slapping seem so fake and cheesy!! kinda funny to watch.
Tamaya: I should re-watch that series again. It is considered a classic by baidu netizens but I thought though above average I didn't enjoy it as much as other Steven's series - maybe because I watched it online, (inferior quality & buffering) but more importantly Steven did not have too much screen time. Plus I was super annoyed by Kwan Ho, especially her indecisiveness and willfulness. Anyway, most Steven fans think that Sittu Lai Seon is way too good for Kwan Ho, just like how Chi Yat Bo is also too good for fickle-minded Jing Gao. Yeah, Chi Lam stood out. Though Steven was a bit green in his acting, his performance was naturally done. Also usually goody-2-shoes characters can come across as fake and super annoyingly, but not Steven's Lai Soon who just seems so super nice with a good heart, and oh so very adorable. Are you watching the series online or from dvd? I don't feel compel to buy the dvd set as keepsake because Steven's screen time wasn't all the much, and the story is way too melodramatic for my taste, not to mention I'm not all that into angsty triangle love. Overall, I didn't enjoy ROTC as much as I thought I would, considering its great online reviews, but then again I didn't enjoy many netizens' lauded TVB series either.
Sneezer on 01 May 2010 - 11:47 PM Tamaya - I watch Cuckoo on DVD as online is too slow and and the quality is choppy which affects the enjoyment experience. Anyways I finally finished watching Return of Cuckoo. Feel kinda bad for Lai Seon that he is the "fall back" guy for Kwan Ho and yet he doesn't know that. He thinks he got both, her heart and the person but in truth, he captured her physically. Their relationship is clearly not equal. The ending was open and abrupt, easily leaves me the impression that, based on her unwillful character, she may even leave him for ChiLam. Her heart is uncommitted - I totally don't appreciate her character. Nevertheless the open interpretative ending left much to be desired, I did enjoy watching it..only wish they develop more on Lai Seon's character.
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Mag scan: In ROTC, producer Tsui Yu On gave the role of Szetu Lai Soon to Steven, and in the latter’s portrayal, this 3rd person role that should have provoked viewers’ hatred instead set off a tug of heart war among the viewers. If at the time, Kwan Ho were to end up with Man Cho, then Lai Soen would have been the one secretly licking his wounds. (hence, reversing viewers' sympathy towards him.)
Akazukin: As for ROTC, I don't really agree that Lai Soon's 3rd party was written as likely to provoke audiences' hatred. Lai Soon was as close to perfect as perfect, it is hard to hate him. I remember reading an interview of ROTC scripwriter somewhere and the scriptwriter said that she was inspired by those wuxia story where the heroes can love many women at the same time, so she thinks if man can do it, woman can do it too. Therefore, Kwan Ho loves both guys but she can only love one guy physically and that guy is Lai Soon.
Despite me thinking that Lai Soon is a likable character himself, it is still necessary that the actor who acts him out make him likable and I think Steven did just that. I find him not only likable there, but also very lovable.
2013 Eta: Actually, a few years back, I browsed HK Golden Forum and I was shocked to read that many of its active members have hated Steven ever since Cuckoo to these days, totally merging the line of make-believe and reality. I kid you not. Even now, they still hate Steven (blurring the actor for the character) for 'stealing' Kwan Ho from Chor Gor Gor - imagine that - such delusional people.
Here's my take, Tamaya, if we think a little deeper:
ReplyDeleteKuan Ho was undeserving of Lai Soon's love. She went to him only when she was rejected by Man Chor, when he refused to profess his love for her. She went to Lai Soon basically just to validate the fact that she was a woman and that's how they ended up in bed, she started the body contact, and who knows what her thoughts were at that time. Physically she was with Lai Soon, but in her mind? If you remember, the body contact started in exactly the same way she liked to hold Man Chor, from the back. The real victim or rather, the genuine hero here is Lai Soon, not Man Chor for letting the person whom he loves leave to pursue a better life with a supposedly better man, because though Lai Soon knows that Kuan Ho loves Man Chor, he continued to love her wholeheartedly without any conditions. Two kids with Lai Soon, and yet her heart still pines for Man Chor.
In short, Kwan Ho wants her cake and eat it too. Sooner or later despite having children as the bridge, Lai Soon will feel a void because of his wife's inability/unwillingness to give him her whole heart. But then again, it's a matter of the heart - tough to control.
DeleteTo me Lai Soon is no hero or a victim but a clueless young man in love. Will he make the same decision had he known of Kwan Ho and Chor's intense relationship that is more than just sibling's? Probably, cos' he believes in fair play and proaction, without Chor's sense of inferiority.
"The ending was open and abrupt, easily leaves me the impression that, based on her unwillful character, she may even leave him for ChiLam. Her heart is uncommitted -" Sneezer
How prophetic is the above statement made years ago?
Honestly, I don't really appreciate the story line of this drama. If not because of Steven l would not have watched it. I dislike love triangles, esp 2 guys falling for the same girl.
ReplyDeleteHence I did not watch that 恋爱星球人- also with 2 guys falling for one gal. What's more the other chap is Laughing gor. All the more I would not catch it. Because Laughing was very cocky with his remarks on Steven. Tsk Tsk!
At least in 恋爱星球人, netizens rooted for Steven to get the girl. In 'Cuckoo', not only is his screen time limited, his character is hated until today -- just browse HK Golden Forum.. delusional posters' hatred/vitriol for Lai Soon spill over onto Steven, the real person and actor. "I hate Steven so much, who asks him to steal Kwan Ho from Chor Gor Gor!" is a very common sentiment of Steven's haters on that forum.
DeleteHey tamaya: not sure if you've heard, but the summary of the new ROTC movie came out recently. To be honest, I was a little ticked when I read it. Not only did they not invite Steven to participate in the movie, guess what they did to his character Szeto Lai Sun? Yup, you guessed it -- they killed him off (the movie starts with Kwan Ho bumping into Man Chor again not long after her husband Lai Sun's death..)
ReplyDeleteYeah, read it, like we all pretty much guessed it, his character is conveniently killed off so now the star-crossed lovers can pick up where they left off. Honestly, without Steven in it, the movie doesn't hold my attention anymore.
DeleteHaha. For me I rather they "killed" Steven's character than to see Kuan Hou going back to Man Chor and leaving poor Lai Sun 眼巴巴看着自己的老婆投向另外一个男人。isn't it more heart wrenching? I for sure wouldn't want to see poor Steven's 痛苦的样子。 身为马仔的忠实粉丝, 必定会很痛心的。你们怎麼看? 哈哈。
ReplyDeleteNot to mention had Steven reprised Lai Soon, he would surely be bashed to death by rabid Man Chor/Kwan Ho cp fans anyway (like he was back then, and until today some cp fans still hold grudges against Steven the person because of their hatred for Lai Soon.). Also who knows how his character would be 'blackened' by the scriptwriter to appease the cp fans, so better dead than vilified, tainted his image in Lai Soon's fans. And of course if alive, it would messy to go into details on why their marriage failed, so much cleaner to just kill off Lai Soon. Steven fans don't really want him to be involved in the movie (considering all he would be bashed) just that we are miffed by how Steven is slighted by the producer(s) and of course by TVB, that's all.
DeleteAnd yes, it would be a nightmare to watch an angsty entangled love triangle with Lai Soon as the third wheel.
DeleteWell said Tamaya. In that case we should be happy that Steven is not involved in the movie. We can all be spared of the agony to see our idol being unreasonably and cruelly bashed up by the cp fans. And btw what does cp stands for?
ReplyDeletecp = couple pairing (I think)
DeleteWonder if the movie would be screened in Spore cinemas in the first place. Well well even if it would, I would not watched it. Waste time and waste money. Tamaya, will you 捧场?
ReplyDeleteIf I couldn't even finish watching "Next Station, I love you" free on internet, would I pay money to support a movie that slighted Steven? Definitely not!
Delete2 thumbs up to you Tamaya for not supporting. The 2 "love birds" can rekindle their love and do whatever they want. Who cares! !无眼看。and hope that this movie will flop miserably. 票房惨败, 那就心凉了. Justice be done for Steven. Haha.
ReplyDelete