A lot of you may not agree with me on this but I feel like Meteor Garden 2 should have ended with Yesha and Ahsi together.
A lot of us agree here that Meteor Garden 2’s latter part wasn’t written that right, whether we’re Yesha or Shancai fans. It’s because the transition of character from Ahxing to Ahsi wasn’t done smoothly.
Meteor Garden 1 and Meteor Garden 2 were a dichotomy of ideas. It’s also a dichotomy of storytelling. While Meteor Garden 1 presented us with a generic, fairy-tale, against-all-odds, hope-springs-eternal type of storytelling, Meteor Garden 2 presented us with a more realistic perspective of dealing with life. The major dichotomy here is on the two concepts, which are “idealism” and “realism”. Idealism was shown in Meteor Garden 1 where Dao Ming Si and Shancai were practically against the entire world when they were fighting for their love. It showed triumph over despair. But then again, that’s a very generic approach of storytelling.
I’m very glad that Meteor Garden 2 tried to deviate from the approach used in Meteor Garden 1. It now has a more serious, and realistic plot. I really like the dichotomy of concepts, and personally, this dichotomy should have been maintained.
The problem with a lot of Meteor Garden fans is that they’re judging the weight of Mateor Garden 2 based on how it conforms to Meteor Garden 1. Why don’t we judge Meteor Garden 2 instead based on its own merits, and not on how it compares or conforms to something? By the way, this is a good debate issue. How do we judge a story? Do we judge it based on how it compares to others or do we judge it on its own merits? I sometimes do the former, but I do feel that the latter is the right approach since it doesn’t have biases. Although I have to admit to myself that some of the good things I found on Meteor Garden 2 are also based on how they have compared to Meteor Garden 1. But since we’re doing a comparison of the 2 TV series here, we do need to compare. It’s inevitable. But I would also try to treat Meteor Garden 2 as something that is mutually exclusive to Meteor Garden 1.
Ah Si and Ye Sha’s relationship was the only relationship I ever felt that attained true development. Some may say that Ahsi and Shan Cai are meant for each other. My God, I could hardly call their relationship as an actual relationship since all they did in Meteor Garden 1 was to quarrel all day, not to mention that their relationship are always in a constant threat from third parties, Ah Si’s mom, etc.
Looking at the relationships in Meteor Garden 1, a lot of male-female relationships didn’t attain something substantial. In Meteor Garden 1, we know that Ahsi and Shan Cai’s relationship is going somewhere, but it’s not there yet. Lei had always been a loser when it comes to love, and Ximen and Xiao Yun’s (did I spell her name right) relationship was put into waste by that non-so-impressive Meteor Rain series (It could have been one of the better relationships in the series, though).
Ahsi and Yesha was the only true relationship that the series ever produced. It achieved what other relationships in the series failed to achieve. Ahsi and Shancai achieved something, but not to anything impressive. Ahsi and Xiao Si (is my spelling correct?) were doomed right from the start because Ahsi never loved her in the first place. Ah Si and Yesha however, both love each other. Add to that the fact that they don’t deal with a truckload of obstacles, unlike Shancai and Ahsi.
The worst plot direction that Meteor Garden 2 went thru was its re-attempt to bring back Ahsi and Shancai, when the series only have 5 to 7 episodes left. There’s absolutely no way that thing can be done smoothly when you have two thirds of the series allocated to Ahsi and Yesha’s relationship. So what we saw in the latter part was an unrealistic (to which both Shancai and Yesha fans agree on), transition from Ahxing to Ahsi (e.g., Ahsi being apathetic after finding out that there’s a marrow donor for Yesha. Logically, he should, still be very much happy (even if he’s losing his love for Yesha), after finding out that she has a chance to survive. After all, he’s essentially the same guy who confessed his love to Yesha in episode 10, and still essentially the same guy who rejected Shancai in episode 16 or something. His transition back to the old Ahsi was so rugged, it’s like he had another amnesia.
Comment: Thanks a lot for your entry! it was very beautiful! I really agree with you...The ending was not good, it was not properly written... How could Dao Ming Si just dumped Ye Sha after all she's done for him?!All her sacrifices, her time, her love...There's something wrong with DMS! It's not fair dumping Ye Sha that way, just leaving her behind after his memories came back. It was just unfair, especially on Ye Sha's part. He was already on his way in beginning a new life, and then his memories from the past just came in ruining everything! There's San Cai who just came popping in the scene and break the bond which made DMS a new person with a new found love..The story would have been cool and different (like what david said) if they had double weddings: SanCai & Lei, Dao Ming Si and Ye Sha!
I can say that the relationship between Dao Ming Si and Ye Sha was real.. It was true love. While the "thing" between San Cai and Dao was just like a sort of a "childish game", they keep on fighting and they're just like children. The bond of Dao and Ye Sha was somehow more mature and real. There was this friendship between them that is so pure and undying. They were like the best buddies who didn't noticed that they were already falling in love with each other. There was this chemistry between them that adds spice to the story. It was really beautiful. Touching, moving, and very heart-warming. A true example of an endless love which didn't came true...
ANDREA
Comment:
it is sad to see that yesha went back to bhutan alone, without DMS's love. but what really made my heart went out for her is her ACCEPTANCE that DMS loves shan cai. that is the true essence of loving, willing to sacrifice your own hapiness for the sake of the hapiness of the one you love (yes, she broke down, becoming "selfish". this is because she realized that she could'nt accept the event where DMS would be the first to leave this world. she became selfish maybe because she only has 3 months to go compared to shancai's lifetime?).
this is the opposite to shan cai's decision: perseverance to fight for her love. she just gave up because she was tired already, not because she wished him happiness.
viewers forgot the fact that yesha brought out the better part of DMS as Xing: gentle, polite, willing to learn and a concern for others. shancai may have soften DMS from being an arrogant rich brat to a more tolerable rich brat, but he was still basically a brat.
Comment: you have a point guile.
but if you remember the episode where yesha wrote a letter to her silly brother, she told him that she now knew Xing is again DMS, that he has recovered his memory and feelings toward shan cai.
DMS may not have the desire to go after shan cai at that time, but it would be unfair for DMS to stay with yesha knowing that he (also) loves shan cai. yesha realized that this is tearing DMS apart, so she decided to let him go, hurting herself in the process. this shows how much she loves DMS, willing to give him the freedom to seek for his own happiness.
it may be a sad ending for those of us who want yesha to be happy. but this ending, i believe, truly showed what kind of a loving being yesha is. yesha will move on, in pain, but growing in the process. and this process will make her an even more beautiful person.
i just wish a side story will be created for her if ever there will be a meteor rain volume 2, with a happy & loving ending.
Comment: yeah, that iscool if there would be a meteor rain season 2. I only hope that Ye Sha and DMS will end up together!!! Maybe not in Meteor Garden 2 but in Meteor Rain 2!
Well, I have read that the original anime version of meteor garden 2 (hanayori dango???) is really far from the meteor garden 2 today. Ye Sha and DMS were supposed to end up together while San Chai fell for Hua Ze Lei after accepting that DMS doesn't love her anymore. She realized that it was Lei who always stands by her side whenever she has problems not knowing that Lei was already inlove with her. (That's how I understand the article..pls. correct me if I'm mistaken)
Anyway, I'm really glad that if lei didn't convinced DMS to return to San Chai, he would have never return....that's a good news for me! We're still watching episode 12 here in the Phil. that's way I'm planning to buy the english subtitle ,30-episode VCD meteor garden2.
Comment: Hi Andrea... that was very deep. And I agree with you. I think I had high expectations of MG2, because MG1 had a very good storyline, that's why I ended up quite disappointed. I'd like to point out a few things though to add (but most are reiterations of what you just said).
1. Yesha is the best thing that happened in MG2. She has depth. This actaually alleviated my disspointment in the series. The acting of the cast was better, that's all I can say. The first 12 episodes were the best of A Si - Yesha team up. The relationship could have gotten deeper. MG2 did not justify Yesha's character by booting her out of the triangle.
2. If the original anime series ended otherwise, I think the producers should have kept the real story, then make a MG3 or something. Even if A Si ended up with Shan Cai. MG2 was a long series, but throughout the latter part, it felt like they cut the storyline and made a shortcut to the end.
3. If it's true love we're talking about, I really go for A Si and Yesha. The one with A Si and Shan Cai, is more of that ideal young love which is what is depicted in fantasy like animes. With Yesha, A Si grew up. It was a more mature relationship -- surviving everyday without cash at hand, discovering Taiwan. And Yesha was very patient with A Si, she doesn't fight with him. It was a different chemistry.
4. And I didn't agree with that letter. Yesha is more of a survivor than Shan Cai would ever be. She didn't need Shan Cai to be brave. They are of equal footing. That's why A Si fell in love with both of them.
5. There were a lot of loose ends on how the relationship between A Si and Yesha ended. The letter was not very clear on how it really happened.
6. Yesha was too late in admitting that she loved A Si. At that time, A Si already regained his memory and was already confused. That is unrequitted love.
7. It was impossible for A Si to feel for Shan Cai more than Yesha in a short period of time after he recovered memory. It's like disregarding Yesha all throughout. Very Dao Ming Si.
8. Lei could have fought for his love for Shan Cai. He loved Shan Cai more than A Si really did.
9. What happened to that painting?
I have more--but I guess I already made my ponint. Hope you agree.
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