Peach Girl

 

Cast:

 

Momo/ Xiao Tao (in Peach Girl drama)-Annie Wu Cheng Jun

Xiao Tao is the heroine of the drama. Like Momo, she is misunderstood and has a troubled love life.

Toji/ Dong Shi (in Peach Girl drama) - Wu Ke Qun

Dong Si is the guy Xiao Tao has liked since high school. Like Toji, he is shy and very gullible.

Kiley/ Ah Li (in Peach Girl drama)- Vanness Wu Jian Hao

A Li is the popular playboy at school who falls for Xiao Tao. Like Kairi, he is flirty, sweet, and absolutely *gorgeous*. And he can sing well too

Sae/ Sha Hui (in Peach Girl drama)-Guan An Ru

Sha Hui is Xiao Tao's friend-turned-enemy. She is very beautiful and the most popular girl in school. She is also self-absorbed, sly, and she loves to ruin Xiao Tao's life.

 

Jigoro Oji/ Lu Wu Wang (in Peach Girl drama) - Duncan

Lu Wu Lang is a handsome model who falls in love with Sha Hui when she becomes a model too. He is gorgeous and gullible, and he will do anything to please Sha Hui.

 

Nurse Misao/ Ah Cao Jie (in Peach Girl drama) - Vicky Chen

Ah Cao Jie is the school nurse. She is very close with A Li and she also befriends Xiao Tao.

 

3G – YoYo, Xiao Ming, Edward Oh Di

They also let Xiao Tao live in a vacant room on the upper floor of the restaurant's building, after she gets kicked out of her place. Almost every time these 3 appear they add humor to the scene.

3 Mean Girls - Chen Fang Zhi , Liu Shu Ting, Zhong Jia Ling
These are 3 of Sha Hui's friends who bully Xiao Tao in the beginning, but later befriend her when they find out the truth about Sha Hui.

 

Other Titles: Mi Tao Nu Hai

 

Summary:

Shopping after school, Momo spots a cute bag. Sae convinces her not to get it, then goes back for it herself so people will fawn over her stylish new bag. Such an annoying and small incident...but this is how Ueda sets up the pattern for things to come. Momo sees something she wants, and Sae scrambles to get it first.

Momo has had a crush on Toji since junior high school. But knowing Sae's habits as she does, when Sae attempts to figure out who Momo likes, what choice does Momo have but to throw her off the scent? So instead of confessing her interest in Toji, Momo points to the most popular guy in school, Kiley Okayasu, instead. Much to her surprise, Kiley winks at her! But that's soon forgotten, for within minutes, Sae has approached Kiley with a gift of cookies. Kiley, however, is not so easy to catch. Unbeknownst to Momo, Kiley observed the whole "bag incident" and rejects Sae.

Although Momo is herself misunderstood (thanks to her easily tanned skin), she blindly accepts Kiley's reputation as a shallow playboy. So when she hears of his rejection of Sae, her low opinion of him somewhat improves. That would have been the end of Kiley's involvement, except someone writes "Kiley + Momo" on a blackboard. Sae indignantly denies she did it, but no matter who did do it, Momo's in a bad situation: What if Toji saw?

This predicament pales in comparison to the next blow. Someone's been spreading the rumor that Kiley and Momo have kissed! Then she finds out it's Kiley himself who's saying it! In desperation, she tracks Kiley down, hoping to convince him to squelch the rumor. It turns out the reason Kiley's been saying such things is because Momo once rescued him from drowning, and he believed she gave him CPR. Ever since, he's had a thing for Momo. In reality, it was a lifeguard who gave him CPR. To resolve the situation, Kiley kisses her, turning the rumor into truth.

Her first kiss stolen--the kiss she'd been saving for Toji--Momo is mortified. Worse, no matter how she tries to ditch him, Kiley won't leave her alone. The crowning glory of her grief is that it's obvious that Toji has heard the rumors. But this is the point in the story where Toji becomes a person instead of a plot device.

Toji has known Momo since junior high and knows she's a good girl, and not the shallow beach bunny her dark skin suggests she is. Toji confronts Kiley, threatening him and telling him not to toy with Momo. Intrigued, wily Kiley taunts Toji, implying he might go steady with Momo to ease Toji's concerns. Toji's response is explosive, leaving no room to doubt his disapproval.

Wanting to know more, Toji asks Sae about it, just as Momo, followed by Kiley, walks by. In true weasel fashion, Sae drags Toji behind some shrubbery so they might eavesdrop. What they hear comes as a shock to both. In an attempt to get Kiley to leave her alone, Momo tells him there's a guy she likes. Kiley instantly figures out it's Toji and wonders why Momo's never told Toji how she feels. Momo explains that a friend told her that Toji said he doesn't like dark girls, so she's waiting until she's pale enough before confessing her feelings. This is why she quit swimming and is addicted to sunscreen.

Isn't that pitiful? And that's not even halfway through the first book! It's from here on out Sae starts doing her worst....

 

What I Think:

My only reason for watching this god-forsaken series is cause of Vanness Wu. I have very high hopes for Peach Girl because the mangga version is so hyped; people say it is good, so I figured the series will be too.

 

The story has a big flaw and the acting too… there is absolutely no chemistry between the actors, except maybe for Anne Wu and Vanness Wu, they have little chemistry working I guess, Vanness always makes me giddy. J But Dong Si is just so stiff, no reactions, no feelings, if he stands still for a moment I can take him for a log! Sha Hui okay she is a little good, she just kills me with her angelic face and all. I cannot absolutely fathom how 2 pretty girls, Sha Hui and Xiao Tao go crazy and fight over Dong Si! Good lord help them! Come on Dong Si aint that good looking at all, and his personality is not that great to match, he is very weak and gullible!

 

I cannot get over that fact that after Xiao Tao was ‘raped” by Lu Wu Wang she just went on with life, got over the incident so fast! She was “raped” then the next scene she was skating with Ah Li already! Duh!

 

Anne Wu and Vanness Wu have the same family names, could they be relatives? J Just thinking. Oh let me talk about the setting, it is the same school that is used in Mars and Meteor Garden!

 

Some worth-mentioning scenes, most of it are Ah Li’s scenes… hehehe. J

** Ah Li (Vanness Wu) dancing with Xiao Tao (Anne Wu). Ah Li is a heart-throb and he dances very well too.

** Xiao Tao gives Ah Li a CPR and saves his life when he drowned at the beach.

** Ah Li heard the rumor that he and Xiao Tao kissed so he changed the rumor into truth and really kissed her.

** Ah Li fell of the stairs with Xiao Tao on top of him, and then the whole school clapped for them!

** Ah Li tying Xiao Tao’s shoe lace.

** Dong Si doing the “L” for “like” sign in front of the whole class for Xiao Tao.

** Dong Si kissing Xiao Tao for the first time after their argument.

** The scenes where Lu Wu Wang and Sha Hui were trying to stage a “rape” scene for Xiao Tao. These moronic baboons!

** Ah Li carrying Xiao Tao piggy back style when she hurt her foot at the forest.

** Ah Li and Xiao Tao planting flowers and Ah Li said “Peach Blossoms means I am your captive” and kissed her on her forehead.

** Xiao Tao: Where are you right now?

     Ah Li: I am in your heart right now.

** The ending: that Ah Li and Xiao Tao ended up together. J I cannot stand it if she ended up with Dong Si. J

Other Stuff:

** Ai De Jui Shi Ni - Lee Hom Wang.

The opening theme song is entitled “Ai De Jui Shi Ni” (Simply in Love with You) sung by my favorite, Alexander Wang Li Hom. I like the song so much and the video too. The version played in the series is shorter than Lee Hom’s version from his cd.

 

** Wo Yi Ran Xiang Xin Ni Hai Ai Wo – Valen Hsu (Liu Hong Hua). The song that plays during the closing credits. Valen Hsu also acted with F4 in (another?) lousy series, Come into my Place.

 

** Dance With Me Tonight - Vanness Wu
This is the song that Ah Li sings at the club party in episode 1. Vanness also sang this live at the F4 Music Party concert.

** Ni Bu Ai Wo Ai Sui - Vanness Wu
This is the song Ah Li sings to Xiao Tao acapella over the school's loud speaker in episode 12. The CD version of the song (the same version this mp3 is) then begins to play in the background when Xiao Tao enters the room.

 

** First serialized in Klamp Kodansha's Monthly Best Friend (Bessatsu Friend) magazine in 1998, Peach Girl has been hitting the top of sales charts in Japan for years now, and since its publication in English by TOKYOPOP (first in the manga anthology Smile, then in a continuing graphic novel series), it's definitely become a fan favorite in the U.S.

I am not a fervent anime fan, but I do love anime a lot, and Klamp Kodansha also produced my other fave mangga, Chobits! J

 

Rating: 5 Taiwanese Taicha out of 10

 

TO VIEW PEACH GIRL ANIME VIDEOS: GO HERE

PEACH GIRL ANIME 

 

 

credits: sydygirl.tripod.com, youtube.com, official site

 

Music Playing in the Background: Backstreet Boys- Poster Girl