I Am Sorry, I Love You Review

*Spoilers warning!*

It has been a long while since I had watched Taiwanese idol drama. One of the reasons I  love watching Taiwanese idol drama is that it is in Mandarin + some Taiwanese (a version of the Minan dialect or what we called Hokkien). You need no subtitles when you understand the language, and it gives you 100% attention on the screen play.

After some search, I came across a few new dramas, including "I Am Sorry, I Love You".

(Credit: 我的鬼基友Facebook Fan Page)

The Taiwanese title was "我的鬼基友" which hints of what the anime lovers will know - "Shounen Ai". However, the Chinese title of "我的灵界男友" is milder, and hints of a special relationship between a guy and his partner. The synopsis makes it clearer - a story between two guys and a lady that both fell in love with. One guy was the ex-boyfriend, and now "dead" due to a tragic incident, the other was a nerdy guy who idolized the lady.

It was not spooky at all since the beginning, but funny, full of Taiwanese humour, and interesting scenes (just look at the trailers!). The story was well crafted, keeping the suspense of who was the one causing the tragic incident.

As the story unfolds, we found the main characters tangled by fate. How the nerdy Wang Shu Hai (played by Bryant Chang) helped Hong Pei (played by Jasper Liu) who was shocked to find himself "dead" for 6 years and Si Yi (played by Andrea Chen) to move on.

The 13 episodes were split into 3 mini episodes of 25 minutes each for Tudou/ Youku and Line TV versions aired three times weekly. I caught using the mini episodes so the ending was the 39th episode for me.

So Hong Pei was not dead yet, he was actually alive, but he was unable to go because of one reason, his girl. When he was finally back alive, his new best friend was unconscious. That leaves us wondering, why did fate play them in such a way?

Despite having a good plot, the ending seems rushed. Some details were left out, making the audience do the work of completing the puzzle. The world seems to be quite tiny there, only Hong Pei could donate his heart to Shu Hai (huh?). Okay, in the first place, Shu Hai's accident did not look as dramatic as Hong Pei's, so I guessed he should not need a heart replacement. Seriously, did they watch any medical dramas at all? Alright, we audience had to assume that everything was fine. 

One thing they did was to tell the audience that the three main characters were tangled in this special relationship since a long time ago. They were brought together by fate. That they emphasized it in the last few minutes of the drama. Everything explained, by fate.

I would really appreciate if they extend the last episode or create a 40th episode to make things easier. Explain the plot clearer to the audience. Maybe it was because I would love to see the three main characters living happily ever after after 39 episodes of chasing the drama. But well, the idea was a novel one.

I would give the drama a 4 out of 5, for the suspense it kept me in for the majority of the episodes. The 1 point was deducted for the seemingly rushed ending, or maybe the director wanted us to complete the puzzle on our own. Nevertheless, it was good time watching this drama for the fun, laughter and interesting plot.

Now, back to watching more Taiwanese idol dramas!