Weibo Fever # 18: Are You a Hong Kong TV Series Fanatic?

Just for fun….

I saw this post on Weibo yesterday and found it so amusing that I just had to translate it and share it! 

The title of the original post is 那些年的港劇橋段 (‘The Hong Kong TV Series Story Ideas of Yesteryear’) and it consists of a bunch of cartoons that a netizen (someone named ‘Shin先生’) drew – each cartoon is captioned with a story idea / concept commonly found in HK television series.  After reading through the ‘story ideas’, I couldn’t help but laugh because some of them are truly very funny – but at the same time, I was also nodding my head in agreement because when I think back to all the HK television series that I’ve watched over the past 20+ years, I can’t even begin to count how many of these ‘ideas’ (or variations of them) were used in so many of those series!  Personally, I have actually seen every single ‘idea’ mentioned in the cartoons used in series…so I guess that ‘officially’ makes me an HK TV SERIES FANATIC??  LOL!  No problem – guilty as charged!!  HAHAHA!

How many of the below story ideas have you seen?  Are you an HK TV Series Fanatic?  :o)

P.S.:  If you are able to read Chinese, I highly recommend reading the original cartoons in Chinese because the impact is a little different (plus the cartoons are much funnier in Chinese..LOL!).

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Picture credits as listed

.**NOTE:  The translated captions are in the same order as the cartoons below.  I took the liberty of numbering each one for ease of reference (the original captions were not numbered).***


The HK TV Series Story Ideas of Yesteryear

Costume (Ancient) Drama Series Story Ideas

.1)  Mostly large families where there is a ‘master of the house’ who has several wives and children, especially sons.

.2)  The eldest son is usually riotous, the second son is hypocritical, and the third is usually the one with the brightest future.

.3)  The father (master of the house) starts off powerful and wealthy, but then is later angered to death (usually by his children) and his family is split apart, with his wealth being divided amongst his family members.

.4)  The family business goes from being well-off to declining, but in the end, the business is saved and restored to its previous glory.

.5)  Prior to the grand finale, when a main character is about to be executed, there will always be someone who steps out and says  ’刀下留人’  (‘Save the person under the sword')!

.6)  The ‘secret’ to the main hero not dying [after he is severely injured with a sword through the heart] is always that his heart is on the right side of his body [as opposed to the left side like most people].

.7)  People who suffer memory loss [usually due to some accident or other situation] will get their memory back after being hit on the head.

.8)  The most common method of proving someone’s identity is to use the ‘blood drop method’ (滴血認親)  to prove that he/she is a long lost blood relative.


Modern Drama Series Story Ideas

.9)  Wealthy parents will usually say:  “How much money will it take for you to voluntarily leave [break up with] my son /daughter?”

.10)  A doctor comes of the emergency room and says:  “So sorry!  We have tried our best [to save so and so]!”

.11)  A girl is very obviously dressed up pretending to be a guy, but yet not a single person [in the series] is able to figure it out.

.12)  Upon entering a restaurant, the server/waiter/waitress asks:  “How many in your party?” to which the response is always: “I’m looking for someone!”

.13)  Holding someone hostage [at knife point, gunpoint, etc.] is always the best way to flee a compromising situation.

.14)  When a TV series films a sequel but characters from the original series are no longer part of the cast, 90% of the time those characters are dead.

.15)  In a rich / wealthy family, there will be an illegitimately born child who ends up falling in love with their half-brother / half-sister.

.16)  At the most ‘critical’ moment, there will always be a ‘back door’ through which one can escape.

.17)  Different characters in the series all use the same model cell phone, usually with the exact same ringtones

.18)  When a person is being followed, he/she will usually go in the direction where there is the least amount of people (bystanders).

.19)  At the moment that one intends on jumping off the roof of a building, someone will always come out and successfully discourage him/her from jumping.

.20)  In an office, colleagues are usually standing around gossiping – very little ‘actual work’ is done.

.21)  When a woman feels nauseous (meaning feel like vomiting), there is only one possibility – she is pregnant.

.22)  Upon coughing heavily, when wiping one’s mouth with a handkerchief, usually they will spit up blood.

.23)  The ‘reason’ for helping someone out is usually: “For that person’s own good, you should….”

.24)  When reading a letter/document, the words that are the least clear [i.e. blurred out, missing, etc.] are definitely the most critical.

.25)  Running outside when upset or angry, there is usually thunder and lightning or heavy rain.

.26)  Jumping off a cliff is always the best method for escaping [someone who is chasing you] without having to die.

.27)  When someone falls or is slightly injured, there is always a bottle of homemade ‘bruise ointment’ (鐵打酒) in the home.

.28)  When the main character finds out the truth, he/she usually says:  “I would rather you had lied to me forever!”

.29)  When the villain is about to shoot the main character, there will always be someone who yells out “Be Careful!” and then runs out and ‘takes the bullet’ for him/her.

.30)  When trying to escape, there will always be someone who falls down on the ground and tells the other person:  “Go quickly!  Don’t worry about me!”

.31)  Typical police dialogue:  “You have the right to remain silent, but anything you say can be used as testimony in court.”