Can Darren Wang and Jelly Lin Pull Off School Genius and Ditz in It Started With A Kiss?

Everyone might remember the popular drama series It Started With A Kiss which was adapted from the Japanese manga Itazura Na Kiss. How can we forget Ariel Lin's portrayal of the cute and ditzy Xiangqin and Joe Cheng's Jiang Zhishu? It was a big hit back in 2006 and earned several adaptations including Thai and Korean ones.  And now in 2019, we're having an It Started With A Kiss movie!!   

Jelly Lin and Darren Wang take on the roles of Yuan Xiangqin and Jiang Zhishu in this heartwarming rendition of a timeless classic directed by Frankie Chen.  The movie is slated to be released on Feb, 14, Valentine's Day.  

For a while now, netizens seem divided on whether Darren Wang is a good choice to play Jiang Zhishu and it has been the point of controversy since the selection process.  People might remember Darren Wang from the movie "Our Times" where he played Hsu Taiyu, a campus gang boss.  As opposed to Darren's bad boy Hsu Taiyu character, Jiang Zhishu is quiet and indifferent.  

And this is most likely why people are having a hard time picturing Darren Wang as Jiang Zhishu since Darren's portrayal of a shady and strong delinquent has stuck. Some commented, "Thanks for ruining my childhood."  "Darren Wang doesn't look convincing as someone from Class A." and "Not everyone can become Yuan Xiangqin and Jiang Zhishu."  

After seeing the preview, there are those who changed their minds, saying things like "Jelly Lin is pretty." to "How can Darren be so handsome?" and "The feeling of being dynamic... I think it's pretty good."  

My opinion, though, is that Jelly Lin as Yuan Xiangqin is a good choice. She has that ditzy, impulsive vibe to her that makes playing Xiangqin convincing.  Darren Wang's character Jiang Zhishu is serious to a fault. And that makes him adorable.  From the trailer, Darren seems to be able to carry that with ease, showing a different side of himself to the audience.  

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Darren Wang, Peng Yuchang and Wei Daxun trending photo from The Last Ride set

Hashtag Darren Wang corrupts Peng Yuchang was trending online after Wei Daxun shared photos of the three from the set of their new movie The Last Ride 伟大的愿望. In the trending photo, Darren Wang leads the head-eating antics followed by the younger Peng Yuchang. Being the oldest of the three, Wei Daxun turned the shot into meme-worthy gold after giving the most resigned what-am-i-even-doing-here expression. 

In response to the attention, Darren Wang explained that it was Peng Yuchang who strongly requested it. He then edited the photo to include their boss, Chinese businessman Wang Sicong's famous hotdog eating meme. As far as marketing gimmicks go, this completely worked on me as I'm now reading up on the movie that I hadn't known existed. 

The Last Ride is a Chinese remake of a Korean comedy of the same name. It's about a man who finds out that he doesn't have long to live and his two friends who accompany him to make his wish come true. It already sounds like a touching and laughter-filled movie that I'd watch in a heartbeat especially if they pack on some of that playful chemistry between the three leads. Darren Wang and Wei Daxun have wrapped after two months. Peng Yuchang is still filming. 

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