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Rari

Cloud Drama

Rari

Cloud Drama
The First Half of My Life chinese drama review
Completed
The First Half of My Life
1 people found this review helpful
by Rari
Jun 10, 2020
42 of 42 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 10
Story 10.0
Acting/Cast 10.0
Music 10.0
Rewatch Value 10.0
This review may contain spoilers

My presumptuous life as Mrs. Chen ended just like that.

This drama is so good! It's not a groundbreaking story by any stretch; It's an all too familiar slice of life that's handled so elegantly and with great sensitivity, I absolutely savoured the world that this show created.

The First Half of My Life tells the deeply immersive story of a newly divorced woman and mother of one whose life is plunged into uncertainty from one day to the next; the theoretical rug is pulled out from under her. This woman who has been living the self-satisfied life of a pampered housewife suddenly has to take stock and figure out how she's going to survive both emotionally and financially while raising a young boy and navigating complicated and painful family situations.

Ma Yi Li perfectly captures and encapsulates the role of Luo Zi Jun; she handles this role with amazing nuance and quiet strength. I cheered for her at every turn as she embarked on the journey of her life to regain an independent foothold in a society that had passed her by.

The supporting cast and their stories are equally compelling and relevant to Luo Zi Jun's story and all storylines blend seamlessly together to give a completely beautiful whole.
The relationship between Luo Zi Jun and Tang Jing (played by Yuan Quan) is inspiring. The two women have a lovely selfless friendship characterised by loyalty and fierce protectiveness. This for me is one of the best parts of this drama.
Yuan Quan is stunning in her role of Tang Jing, I was so impressed with the self assurance that literally oozed out of her pores.
Every cast member in this drama deserves a special mention, there are no superfluous characters and the acting overall is top notch from Chen Jun Sheng, to Ling Ling to Old Zhuo, the whole entire cast is brilliant full stop. The characters' opposing ideologies and values greatly enrich this story and provide insight while widening the scope of the subject matter in the narrative.

The main love line is written with immense sensitivity and restrained poignancy, this is one of the very few times where (MILD SPOILER) I wasn't mad at an ambiguous ending (END SPOILER) The relationship between Luo Zi Jun and He Han (played swoonily by Jin Dong) is literally doomed before it even begins, it's not even quite a relationship yet there's a great depth of feeling between these two, it's palpable and they can never openly act on their feelings. It's so good the way this relationship is written and acted.

Characters are tested and true colours are brought to the fore; the characters each walk a full journey with comprehensive growth and progression.
This story makes me look forward to a sequel and I just found out there's going to be one!

Music is evocative smooth jazz and piano solos, perfect for this drama world.

Just watch it, this is a definite 10 out of 10 show.


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