MARS (2004)

I usually find it difficult to watch shows that deal with heavy subject matters, and for the most part prefer sillier, light-hearted drama/comedies. So I was surprised how much I enjoyed MARS. I stumbled across MARS when looking for live-action manga/anime, and thought I'd give it a shot.

I liked how it leapt right into the story, with the introduction of the two main characters. Then we got to meet supporting characters, whose stories interested me also. The chemistry between Ling and Qi Luo was amazing, and I love how their relationship slowly developed. I really enjoyed the little things that made the characters endearing to me, like when Ling annoys Qi Luo in class, trying to get her attention. The relationship develops at a realistic pace, with the facades and defences of each slowly disappearing, and their true natures and vulnerabilities revealed.

I became emotionally invested in these characters, and to me that is a sign of good acting and writing. I cried several times throughout, and just when I thought surely nothing else could possibly happen to these people, something did. But there was still that sense of hope, that they could overcome everything with each other's support.

So, an emotional roller-coaster, but well worth watching, and just as good to re-watch.

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This is the second drama to have captured my undivided attention. I've never seen a drama that can portray mental illness, suicide, rape and such dark subjects and portray it well.



Vic and Barbies preformances were flawless and spectacular. Other than the 1 Litre of Tears drama, I've never seen such amazing acting.



The director had a habit of not playing music at times which just added to the creepy atmosphere. I thought it worked well with the scenes. When there was music, such as the theme song, they were all well chosen.



This is one drama you won't regret watching.

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This is my favourite Asian drama, I'd seen many before watching this, and I've seen even more after finishing this, but no one comes close to Mars.

First thing first, Mars isn't a fluffy feel good drama, it handles serious issues like rape and suicide.

If you do decide to watch it, it has an amazing storyline, the good girl and bad boy meet and fall in love, but there are many more layers to their characters than one would expect.
The best thing js that both characters show growth, it isn't just the guy or the girl changing, they both grow together.

The performances of Vic Zhou and Barbie Hsu are so good that at times I had to remind myself that they were just acting... also there chemistry is just out of this world good!

The music is good, and the fact that there are instances where it isn't used adds to the scenes.

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STORY------ 10/10

I find this story very interesting, I like the fact that the writer actually adapted most of the scenes from the original Japanese manga (MARS by Furumi Soryo, 1996, if you haven't read it yet I recommend that too you'll be amazed at the resemblance) back to the story line one of the scenes that I was pointing it were the opening where Qi Lo and Ling met and a lot more I won't be a spoiler. It's unpredictable in some way, I kind of didn't know how the story will unfold and what is background of each character until it was revealed in the series itself. The topics touched in this series is a very complicated mix, highly dramatic from family problems to even as grave as rape and suicide. Although it still had some of the usual cliches, I'm giving it a 10.

ACTING/CAST ------10/10

This is a turnaround from how I first saw Barbie and Vic (Meteor Garden) she still had the same hair though, I like the timid side of Barbie and the more arrogant yet lost soul Vic was in this drama. I think he also gained weight here, which is better. The other supporting roles were great.

MUSIC -----10/10

I love the soundtrack,very well placed songs, if it's a cute lovey dovey scene you'll feel the lightness of the scene from the song. If it's those scary psycho turnarounds, It's scary alright. Just listen to it and the intro Very STRONG SONG.

REWATCH VALUE ------ 10/10

I'm giving this a high rewatch value, you just get pulled by the drama. The love for the characters and that Ducati man it's just nice to watch over again, even the struggles that they have it gets you back to see it again.

OVERALL ------ 10/10

Overall it's a 10! although it's a bit old considering it was aired 2004, it's still a great all in all. Something highly recommended.



I hope this is helpful enough for you guys :)

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I absolutely loved this drama. I have found that the Taiwanese actors/actresses don't usually display the emotions of their characters very well but this drama floored me. I loved the way each character was portrayed. The rxns of the characters were right on & were believable. I wish that Tong Dae was a little more inappropriate in his rxns but he was believable in that he was trying to display normal rxns to fool the ppl around him. This drama seemed to question if murders r born naturally or born from circumstance.



I don't know how ne1 could not enjoy watching this drama, but I am sure that if u don't like to look at the tragic side of life & the struggle to live through it, then u will not like this drama. My wisdom of the day is: U r only a victim if u act like 1.

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Mars happens to be the most outstanding masterpiece I have ever had the privilege of watching.
I finally decided to write this review when I remembered a little while ago how much this drama helped me when I didn't even see a future for myself. Mars goes over dark subjects of mental illness, rape, and absolute tragedy, but what it is about altogether..is overcoming that tragedy.

One quote to sum the drama up is from the drama Bloody Monday 2:

“No one was supposed to open Pandora’s Box.
So much catastrophe came out of the box.
But what do you think was left inside?
Hope.”
- J
Normally I am not a fan of Taiwanese dramas because to be honest they aren't always as good as Korean or Japanese dramas. This has to be the best Taiwanese drama out there!! The way it was filmed was perfect and the actors chosen for the leads were sooo wonderful. I was able to relate to the female lead so much that I cried when she cried and was scared or unsure when she was.
This drama is so different than most because it is so inspirational.

Following our dreams and overcoming our tragedies with our foever soul-mate.

The music in this drama was wonderful and I listen to the soundtrack on my iPod all the time. It can get repetitive but it's so wonderful I could care less.

I haven watched this drama about 4-5 times through already and after I'm finished this review I'm going for a 6th. Mars is so realistic but it has some typical high-school cliches at the same time. It is a lot deeper than shy girl meets popular playboy because the chemistry and the obstacles are absolutely real. The chemistry even goes off-screen as the main actors did have quite a long relationship after the drama. I recommend this drama to a mature audience and I'm not talking about age 18+, they just need to be mature. This is a nicely paced but drama that goes over adult topics so if you aren't mature enough or even mentally stable enough I don't recommend watching this.

Although I watched this at a very dark time in my life it did help me, but there were a lot of topics that came up that felt like my soul was being torn apart. I'm so grateful to have watched this because it helped me become stronger. If you choose to watch Mars I surely hope you enjoy it because this is an example of how T.v shows should be.

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Instant Favourite. I had to boot out one my all-time favourite dramas in my list to make room for this one, the moment i finished watching it.
This drama has everything you would expect from and Asian drama AND more. It's all i thought about for days, I literally dreamt of the characters when i slept.
The story, although it is appears to be a stereotypical 'good girl meets bad boy' theme, is actually far more deeper then that. The girl wasn't always so reserved, and the boy wasn't always such a womanizer. It really touches upon the consuming physiological problems that tragedy can create. Its normal to see the male lead 'change' throughout the drama and become a better person while falling in love with the female lead, but it is extremely rare to see both characters changing so much; together.
The acting was amazing. That's to be expected with Barbie and Vic. I laughed and i cried with these characters. I felt their heartbreak as much as my own.
Its the rare kind of drama that gets better with each passing episode, and at the end you just wish you could watch it all over again with new eyes.
I would recommend this to anyone.

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I just finished this emotional T-drama about two young people shaped by tragedy and whether it was possible for them to overcome their tragic pasts.

Story:
In this story two kids faced whatever life threw at them and most of the time it was boulders-mental illness, sexual assault, physical assault, PTSD, suicide, parental neglect, and evil outside forces. Somehow these two broken people found in each other the love and support they needed.

Both the ML and FL had to face their own individual traumas by peeling back the layers of lies and pain to heal and grow. And they had to do this while dealing with ongoing stressors and danger.

They fought for the right to walk hand-in-hand through the healing to the fulfillment of their dreams and no one was going to make it easy on them. Danger and disaster waited around every corner. Internal and external conflicts filled nearly the entire 21 episodes with little breathing room. It was a hard drama to let go of for something like sleep. It wasn’t a perfect story but it was compelling.

If you are triggered by any of the traumas listed above I would recommend not watching MARS. I don’t know that I would label this a dark drama but it does deal with very dark issues.

Acting:
I almost didn’t watch MARS because of Vic Chou. I’d only seen him in The Flame’s Daughter and was completely underwhelmed. I liked him in this drama. Maybe it was because he was rocking the David Cassidy/Uncle Jessie hairdo, but more likely it was the relaxed, natural performance he gave.

Barbie Hsu had the more difficult job of portraying a young woman in so much pain she walked and sat in self-protective postures. As the character grew and healed she portrayed believable fear and outrage. She did an amazing job.

OST:
I enjoyed it, didn’t love it.

On a somewhat related note-the production values were surprisingly high. Too often T-dramas look and sound like someone filmed them on a cell phone. I was pleasantly surprised, especially for an older drama.

Rewatch value:
I will likely go back to MARS for another visit.

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I've come to expect just a little less from Taiwanese dramas in comparison to Korean & Japanese ones. Granted, haven't seen that many, but prior to MARS those that I have seen lacked a certain emotional oomph that I feel is often better delivered in shows from other parts of the region. In addition, previous Taiwanese shows I've seen had poorer production values - that is to say, poorer picture & sound quality, setting, production design, costume design & so on.

Can't say all of the above is true for MARS, though. While it did have a tinge of low budget TV, this is a show with a pretty solid plot & overarching storyline, even if it's a bit heavy-handed in parts. There's quite a bit of angst & melodrama, but luckily it's fairly evened out with lighter moments and a very sweet, passionate romance, so the overall mood of the show remains … less dark. I didn't feel forced to internalize too much of the drama and trauma the characters experienced. While I empathized with their struggles I escaped an onslaught of negative emotions for which I’m grateful.

I enjoyed Qui Lo's story arc a bit more than Ling's. Only because her experiences felt more relatable, like something that could happen to me or someone close to me whilst Ling's family issues were a bit more far removed from my own scope of understanding & experience.

When we first meet Qui Lo, I didn't really care for her. Her demeanour, her way of dress, her body language all screamed GRAY MOUSE. The type of heroine I can watch, probably even like, but who leaves no lasting impression on me whatsoever. Blink and she's gone from your memory like a fleeting dream. Turns out, though, that I misjudged her slightly. Yes, she's your typical Asian drama heroine: sweet, nurturing, a little submissive, but as the show progressed she also blossomed into a stronger, more confident version of herself. I grew to love her quite a bit. I also loved our hero, Ling (and his mullet), ever the debonair lady's man, but a character with so much depth and layers to his personality.

VERY satisfying to watch how their love for each other healed and transformed these people for the better. The way Ling pulled Qui Lo out of her shell with affection, humour and his natural charm; the way Qui Lo worked on Ling as if he were an onion, peeling away every last layer of false bravado and bullshit until she found the real Ling, the young man with the heart of gold. The young man with so much love to give.

The development of their love story is a testament to why I love the romance genre so much. Done well, the perennial effects of this wild, beautiful emotion is a powerful balm to the soul. The reason for being. These two by themselves exuded only half their true potential. But together, they became a powerful whole. Stronger as a unit and stronger individually. Isn’t that the greatest benefit of the best kind of love?

The actors delivered according to their age. Perhaps not as nuanced, not as grounded as a performance that comes with life experience, but they played well off each other. I can’t complain, the chemistry was off the charts. There was a natural flow between them, no awkwardness, no sense really they were acting. I BELIEVED they were indeed girlfriend/boyfriend & their reactions to their individual circumstances rang true for me.

Best of all, I’ve noticed that the Taiwanese are not as conservative as the Koreans and Japanese! The physical interaction between Qui Lo & Ling was perhaps the best I’ve seen so far in dramaland. There's a natural progression to their (physical) relationship. No cringe-worthy kissing, no wide-eyed, disengaged female, no glossing over of the characters’ sexuality! Man, nothing I dislike more than when any and all mention of sex, and the fact that the characters may want to engage in it, is the most scandalous thing ever! I'm not asking for PornHub type action here (for all you prudes who are scandalized by anything more than hand holding). All I want is something natural and convincing, esp when our leads are supposed to be two people who are madly in love with each other.

In general, I really liked the show, esp the characters and the development of the romance. The music wasn't bad either. I tend to be more aware of the OST when the lyrics are translated as they were here. It elicited all the right emotions, esp when connected to certain scenes.

What I didn't like, and what influenced my 8 rating, is that I felt, plot wise, my level of engagement had a huge yo-yo effect. There were times when I was fully engaged because something - ANYTHING - other than two people talking in a room, happened. Other times - MOST times - the show was bogged down by too much nostalgic exposition. That is to say, characters explaining why things happened in the past over and over again. ‘Show, don’t tell’ is a basic rule of thumb in all forms of creative writing. The over abundance of expository dialogue signaled the pen of an unskilled or inexperienced screenwriter, and only served to bore me more times than not.

Another thing that rubbed me the wrong way was how women tend to be portrayed, but this is an overall complaint against Taiwanese dramas (that I’ve seen) and not solely about MARS. Catty to an extreme and willing to go to blows with other females (usually our heroine) who - by no effort of her own - has won over the affection of the hero they like. Whilst the guys, in a similar situation, deal with it in a cooler, more rational & sensible fashion. I don’t like it.

In Korean and Japanese dramas that I’ve seen the cattiness is less amplified & less mean-spirited, imo. It’s a minor thing, in the grand scheme of things, but one which never fails to niggle at the back of my mind. When all’s said and done, though, I wouldn't watch & enjoy Asian dramas as much as I do if I were a raging feminist so it’s all good!

You’ll enjoy MARS if you like romance dramas that try to be more than just mindless fluff. I am not sure to what extent certain parts of the plot worked for me, but in terms of the romance - if this is a genre you like - it will not disappoint.

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Sometimes I wonder why do great shows have such underrated ratings?

Story: This is the drama i keep coming back to. Having watched it around 4 years back, I can still connect with the story and its emotions every damn time. This is not your typical melodrama or a tragic love story. It is much more dark and deep for every character's perspective. Very rarely do i get to see a drama where every story angle is fully nourished bu the author. I also happened to read the manga few months back and realized they have kept the core feeling alive with this adaptations. Be a little patient as it is an old drama but watch it and you won't regret to your life.

Acting/Cast: What a bang on casting it would have been at that time when the makers roled in Vic Zou and Barbie Hsu! Fresh out of Meteore Garden fandon, they both nailed it in as Ahn Qi Lu and Chen Ling. Viz was marvelous in his character but it was Barbie that stole the show for me. Every time she is haunted by her past and her suffering as a victim is portrayed with a top notch acting. I also happened to love every other character and actor of this drama. Even Tong Dao nailed it in his performance.

Music: I am a kind of a person who doesn't really remember much about the music but OST's of this drama was great. It has such a happy yet melancholic feel to it.

Re-watch: I am writing this review right after watching the whole drama for the third time in 4 years. I just felt that everybody should know about this gem.

Overall: WATCH IT. Don't miss the chance to experience this beautiful love story. You won't regret it. I can guarantee on that :)

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