Nothing but Thirty (2020)

Facing the realities with courage and bursting the lock of patriarchy

I promised myself that I was going to write a review immediately after this drama ended. What can I say? Nothing but thirty is such a beautiful and well written contemporary drama. It’s a drama that breaks stereotype and shapes multidimensional women image (Not every time one size fits all)
My emotions are still raw because this drama was so relatable from high point to low point of each character.

The storyline which depicts the life of three women (Wang Man Ni, Gu Jia & Zhong Xiao Qin) who are approaching their thirties and all the struggles/uncertainties that comes with the age.
Wang Man Ni (Jiang Shuying) is an independent, career-oriented sales assistant who is driven and hardworking. Her immediate goal, at least at the start of the show, is to achieve professional success. Throughout the show, her resilience is put to the test, personally and professionally.

Gu Jia (Tong Yao) is a capable businesswoman turned full-time housewife In many ways, she seems like a perfect wife and a strong mother: well-educated, capable, and thoughtful. But, eventually, she too has to face life’s challenges.

Zhong Xiaoqin is a kind-hearted woman -sometimes to the point of being a pushover -, and has spent years at the same company without rising the ranks. Though her story might seem simple/ordinary at first, her peace is disrupted as her marriage takes a turn for the worse when communication problem arises.

Everything single thing is so put together from the interaction at work (especially Wang Man Ni’s job as a sale assistant/ luxury buying) to the set and the cinematography. The pacing is really good, too, not too slow but not super fast.
And the most beautiful part is, of course, their story which brings them all together as they face uncertainties together. It resonates the power of sisterhood and the importance of Feminism. Even if you are not a fan of contemporary c-drama I’ll recommend that you give this a try. If you are a fan of ode to joy, you’ll most likely love this.

The acting was spectacular, Tong Yao (Gu Jia) did a fantastic job as well as the other two leading ladies Jiang Shuying & Mao Xiaotong
You could feel every emotion they felt. Li Ze Feng did well too because you almost forget this is a drama and you want to hate him in real life so bad. The young actor who portrayed Gu Jia’s son deserves an award. So adorable and intelligent.

Every other character had their own unique personalities and portrayed it nicely. I mostly could relate to Wang Man Ni. You either love them or you hate them. Lol. I loved the small family that was shown at the end of each episode. It reminded me of those small neighborhood stalls in big cities that everyone comes across each day (either you interact with them or not). How sometimes you have to find your own happiness even if you are not in the best of situations. Keep working hard. It paid off at the end.

It seems like everything about the drama is perfect even its music is so apt. The entire OST is so enchanting played at right timings. (My favorite thing to listen these days). You’ll definitely be in your feels every time they come on.

Rewatch it? Definitely. It says “To be Continued” at the end so I’ll definitely be expecting a sequel (with the same characters) and I’m excited at the thought.

This drama is literally one of the best drama of 2020 and If you haven't started it yet then YOU should do it RIGHT NOW!!

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A cdrama gem that is relatable and inspirational

For a third generation immigrant of chinese descent who grew up in South East Asia but practically lived most of her life in North America, I loved everything about this cdrama. Though kdramas are my mainstream entertainment there’s something about slice of life cdramas that resonate with me. Nothing but Thirty simply tops it all and rivals some of the best kdramas out there.

The story of three women, neither of them perfect but over the course of the forty-three episodes we see each character blossomed in such a natural way that never once I questioned it as unrealistic or rushed. There is none of the make belief fairy-tale ending but each woman emerged a stronger, happier, and wiser version of herself.

In the beginning we saw an ambitious supermom Gu Jia currying favours from the wealthy so her son can get into the prestigious kindergarten and to improve her family connections. But what made Gu Jia different from other idle trophy moms was her integrity. She stopped short of selling her soul. She maintained her dignity throughout the show whether it was to fight back against the moms who mistreated her son or against opportunistic women leeching off her husband.

Man Ni overcame hardships in her career and relationships and there were moments where I questioned her motives or actions but ultimately she showed me she had a backbone and she was not going to let men or traditions, well-intended or not, define her.

Xiao Qin’s character might have been the most simple-minded of the three but her story was also one of self-discovery, owning up to her flaws and taking responsibilities.

All the love interests in this show were well-matched, from Gu Jia’s shitty husband Xu Huan Shan, to Xiao Qin’s introvert hubby Chen Yu and man-child boyfriend Zhong Xiao Yang to Man Ni’s playboy boyfriend Liang Zheng Xian, kindhearted barista Jiang Chen and smug hometown hero Zhang Zhi. These men complemented the story perfectly. They made you hate them, love them, pity them but ultimately their characters propped up the three women and provided the backstory for Gu Jia, Man Ni and Xiao Qin to shine.

The other supporting characters were fabulous and did their parts to make this a successful drama. I hated Lin You You to the bones. She reminded me of Glenn Close’s character in Fatal Attraction. My favourites got to be Gu Jia’s dad and Uncle Yu. Both were wise and giving in their quiet ways. I especially loved the advice Gu Jia’s dad gave to his friend, ‘Children are debts we owe from our previous life…..’ So profound and insightful.

Kudos go to the writer, director and production team for putting together a masterpiece that is relatable but also inspirational. This is truly a show about the sum of the parts. It does not rely on the good looks of its leads, fairy-tale romances, over the top acting or heart-pumping thrillers. It simply works.

If you haven’t given cdramas a try, this is one that won’t disappoint. As for me, I will be waiting patiently for the next chapter of Gu Jia, Man Ni and Xiao Qin’s stories.

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