Reports say Taiwan will do a Skip Beat Live Action (Extravagant Challenge - their title) starring Ariel Lin and Jerry Yan. However, knowledgeable and sensible fans everywhere are already up in arms fearing Skip Beat Live Action (Extravagant Challenge) will destroy both the manga and anime like what the Taiwanese did to Yamada Taro Monogatari (known as Poor Prince the Taiwanese Version) and Marmalade Boy. If you've seen the Poor Prince, you know how the Taiwanese completely missed the point of the author. In fact, I think the series made fun of the poor and made them look weird (Yamada Taro Monogatari is a story of a high school boy raising his huge family and his incompetent mother). Thankfully, the Japanese live action version saved the manga.
Coming back to Skip Beat, it is about Kyoko Mogami who vowed revenge against her old childhood friend Sho Fuwa, a rising pop star, for tricking and mistreating her by joining show business and become a pop idol herself. The story's very intriguing, right?
Not much reliable information going around at the moment and don't believe posters in various forums as they are usually as clueless as you and me. We'll wait for the actual and verified news on the matter. The information regarding Skip Beat Live Action (Extravagant Challenge) is already confirmed.
Objections to Skip Beat Live Action/ Extravagant Challenge are numerous. The biggest complaint is with the actors, Jerry Yan and Ariel Lin, who the Skip Beat manga and anime fans think are unsuited for the roles. Fans say Ariel Lin's reputation of portraying Low IQ and obssessive characters don't match Kyoko. Jerry Yan is a poor actor and I don't mean financially strapped.
Reactions to Skip Beat Live Action / Extravagant Challenge (Crunchyroll)
"NNNNOOOOO!!! THIS IS THE WORST THING IN THE WORLD!!!!!!
I can't believe those people! I don't like the fact that the Taiwanese are planning to do this at all! They should find their own stories to direct and produce instead of always taking the Japanese manga's plot! And they had to cast ariel lin and worst of all Jerry Yan! Are you serious?!! This is a huge offense and its the most horrible thing that can be done to "Skip Beat!" They should learn how to back off. The storyline doesn't fit with Taiwanese lifestyle. It's much better for the Japanese to produce since that is where it originated. I don't like how the Taiwanese versions always over exaggerate the acting. The Japanese version never gets a chance. Whenever they make their own version after the Taiwanese one, they are always overlooked. Just like Hana Kimi, and Meteor Garden (Hana Yori Dango). After I saw the Japanese series of Hana Yori Dango, the ways situations were handled better. You can't just have so much gut to stand up to the bad guys. No matter how angry you are, there is always hesitation. Taiwanese dramas are just too much for me. Just when the Anime is finally released, they had to go ahead and spoil it with their version. I'm already at my peak of anguish. If it really comes out, I just might really lose it and destroy the DVD anywhere it is selling."
"Oohhh, this will only ruin the fame of skip beat (both manga and anime), taiwanese movies are famous (some, not all) just because the actors and and actresses have good looks, but their acting are really really horrible! I believe no taiwanese actress is suitable to take kyoko's role, cuz it's really really hard, but it's totally another thing if it's acted by korean actress, (I forgot her name, but she's the main character in princess hour and coffee prince), I believe she's the most suitable to take the role u noe. Lastly, I just hope Skip Beat will be famous and not ruined by the show, and I dun mind the movie as long as Skip Beat ain't ruined by it! (I'm going to post this over and over again so everyone can READ this!)"
Taiwanese live action versions of mangas Hana Yori Dango, Yamada Taro Monogatari, Itazura Na Kiss (It Started With A Kiss - an angry girl commented that this series was a "setback to women's rights"), and Hana Kimi were said to have turned out bad and the fans have every reason to fear the damage Skip Beat Live Action or Extravagant Challenge will do to their beloved anime and manga. Poor acting, weird camera shots, shallow story lines, cheap production values and convoluted plots from TWDramas are turning off many fans already. Will their worst fears come true with this drama? Time will tell.
Why don't the Japanese do the Skip Beat Live Action?
That's what I'm wondering too. The Japanese are just too slow in seizing opportunities. If you've seen the Dorama line up for winter, there isn't much to look forward too. I think if anyone could make Skip Beat Live Action drama work it would be the Japanese. Why? First, they don't scrimp on cost and the production value is high and it doesn't look like it was hurried. Second, they take time to understand what the mangaka is trying to say - his or her message. This is where the Taiwanese fail I think. Finally, the Japanese make the actors resemble the manga characters (see Kimi Wa Petto and Nodame Cantabile). In addition, the acting and pace is just right.
Update as of February 2009
The drama is shelved for now.
Update as of March 13, 2009
GTV did try to continue the drama but Ariel Lin reportedly left the show crying discrimination. It turns out the male lead is paid more than her! Despite the fact both are equally bad actors one gets more money. Tsk!
Coming back to Skip Beat, it is about Kyoko Mogami who vowed revenge against her old childhood friend Sho Fuwa, a rising pop star, for tricking and mistreating her by joining show business and become a pop idol herself. The story's very intriguing, right?
Not much reliable information going around at the moment and don't believe posters in various forums as they are usually as clueless as you and me. We'll wait for the actual and verified news on the matter. The information regarding Skip Beat Live Action (Extravagant Challenge) is already confirmed.
Objections to Skip Beat Live Action/ Extravagant Challenge are numerous. The biggest complaint is with the actors, Jerry Yan and Ariel Lin, who the Skip Beat manga and anime fans think are unsuited for the roles. Fans say Ariel Lin's reputation of portraying Low IQ and obssessive characters don't match Kyoko. Jerry Yan is a poor actor and I don't mean financially strapped.
Reactions to Skip Beat Live Action / Extravagant Challenge (Crunchyroll)
"NNNNOOOOO!!! THIS IS THE WORST THING IN THE WORLD!!!!!!
I can't believe those people! I don't like the fact that the Taiwanese are planning to do this at all! They should find their own stories to direct and produce instead of always taking the Japanese manga's plot! And they had to cast ariel lin and worst of all Jerry Yan! Are you serious?!! This is a huge offense and its the most horrible thing that can be done to "Skip Beat!" They should learn how to back off. The storyline doesn't fit with Taiwanese lifestyle. It's much better for the Japanese to produce since that is where it originated. I don't like how the Taiwanese versions always over exaggerate the acting. The Japanese version never gets a chance. Whenever they make their own version after the Taiwanese one, they are always overlooked. Just like Hana Kimi, and Meteor Garden (Hana Yori Dango). After I saw the Japanese series of Hana Yori Dango, the ways situations were handled better. You can't just have so much gut to stand up to the bad guys. No matter how angry you are, there is always hesitation. Taiwanese dramas are just too much for me. Just when the Anime is finally released, they had to go ahead and spoil it with their version. I'm already at my peak of anguish. If it really comes out, I just might really lose it and destroy the DVD anywhere it is selling."
"Oohhh, this will only ruin the fame of skip beat (both manga and anime), taiwanese movies are famous (some, not all) just because the actors and and actresses have good looks, but their acting are really really horrible! I believe no taiwanese actress is suitable to take kyoko's role, cuz it's really really hard, but it's totally another thing if it's acted by korean actress, (I forgot her name, but she's the main character in princess hour and coffee prince), I believe she's the most suitable to take the role u noe. Lastly, I just hope Skip Beat will be famous and not ruined by the show, and I dun mind the movie as long as Skip Beat ain't ruined by it! (I'm going to post this over and over again so everyone can READ this!)"
Taiwanese live action versions of mangas Hana Yori Dango, Yamada Taro Monogatari, Itazura Na Kiss (It Started With A Kiss - an angry girl commented that this series was a "setback to women's rights"), and Hana Kimi were said to have turned out bad and the fans have every reason to fear the damage Skip Beat Live Action or Extravagant Challenge will do to their beloved anime and manga. Poor acting, weird camera shots, shallow story lines, cheap production values and convoluted plots from TWDramas are turning off many fans already. Will their worst fears come true with this drama? Time will tell.
Why don't the Japanese do the Skip Beat Live Action?
That's what I'm wondering too. The Japanese are just too slow in seizing opportunities. If you've seen the Dorama line up for winter, there isn't much to look forward too. I think if anyone could make Skip Beat Live Action drama work it would be the Japanese. Why? First, they don't scrimp on cost and the production value is high and it doesn't look like it was hurried. Second, they take time to understand what the mangaka is trying to say - his or her message. This is where the Taiwanese fail I think. Finally, the Japanese make the actors resemble the manga characters (see Kimi Wa Petto and Nodame Cantabile). In addition, the acting and pace is just right.
The drama is shelved for now.
Update as of March 13, 2009
GTV did try to continue the drama but Ariel Lin reportedly left the show crying discrimination. It turns out the male lead is paid more than her! Despite the fact both are equally bad actors one gets more money. Tsk!
