This drama deals with serious matters such as divorce, remarriage, single parenthood, family problems and so on, however everything is told in a really peaceful way and it's what makes this drama so interesting and appealing in my opinion, I kept thinking and questioning myself about all those issues that are generally hard to talk about and more importantly to handle. I always appreciate when a drama doesn't only give me entertainment but also intellectual nourishments.
Obviously what truly made me love this drama was the deep and powerful friendship between Luo Zi Jun and Tang Jing and also the growth of characters and they all evolved either from bad to good or good to bad, it was truly convicing and realistic.
Regarding Zi Jun/Tang Jing's friendship, I absolutely loved their poised, calm and mature personalities, they truly complement each other, Tang Jing is more emotive and full of pride while Zi Jun is more calm and strict but when they're together, they look so happy, jovial and relaxed. I have to say that Tang Jing left a big impression on me, she's such a true, selfless and sincere friend and she would absolutely do anything for her friend in need, she doesn't care about what others may think , she just does what she thinks is the best for Zi Jun, and always helps her even when she's extremely busy, that's how good she is. Their friendship to me feels so real and friends like Tang Jing are rare, it's just sad she's too proud. And this quote tells how Tang Jing in Zi Jun's heart means everything "I don't know what character or abilities I have that bestowed me such a great friend, who shares my happiness with me, carries my troubles for me. If in this world there are others who I can't be unworthy of, who I can't disappoint, then Tang Jing is certainly the most important one of all", it truly moved me.
Now I'll move on to the characters and I have to say they were all superbly beautifully presented, there are some I disliked obviously and they infuriated me so much but the actors did such an amazing job portraying them, I mostly think of Ling Ling, and JunSheng (though he wasn't really detestable) for example and anyway without them the drama wouldn't be this much stimulating and engaging. I can only praise all of them, I must admit that what got me truly interested in the drama was the atypical synopsis and the title really caught my attention too, but also seeing that Jin Dong was one of the leads was a great plus for me as I do really admire him as an actor, he was outstanding as always but I wasn't too fond of his character "He Han" though He Han is always full of great advice, so smart and rational, and someone we can rely on, but apart from that I didn't feel much for him but still it was another breathtaking performance by Jin Dong. However my revelations with this cast were Yuan Quan and Ma Yi Li and "The First Half of My Life" was my first drama with them and will definitely not be the last. They both played two fascinating characters but Zi Jun is the one that had a bigger impact on me, it was so beautiful seeing the Luo Zi Jun from the beginning who's a naive, frivolous, insecure, vulnerable woman growing into a responsible, independent and calm woman and at that a woman who doesn't show any of her insecurities/shortcomings in front of strangers and what I liked is that she knows how to seperate her private from her professional life. Ma Yi Li was simply mind-blowing as Zi Jun, truly gorgeous, classy and ravishing; such a delight *.*.
I'll briefly mention one character that made me smile a lot, I know that Zi Jun's mother is a little bit too nosy and annoying, I just couldn't help but like her, she's a pure bundle of energy and I think we do need people like her in our life, someone who'll cheer for us and bring only positive energy when we are so down, that's why I liked her so so much. The rest of the cast was nice as well, I particularly liked the interactions between Old Zhuo, the Jiang Zi's owner and He Han but I have nothing much to add about the rest, though they all had significant roles.
I won't add much about the drama nor the several topics it deals with as I think it's better to watch to see for yourself but one thing I loved in this drama is the realisation, it's so gorgeous and realistic and I particularly loved the flashbacks in black and white which in my opinion intensify some of the most powerful and touching scenes, the settings and sceneries (aaaw that Jiang Zi restaurant *.*) were also beautiful and I truly enjoy watching these dramas that take place in Shanghai, the views are always stunning.
A drama I fully recommend to everyone even to non Cdrama lovers as it deals with actual topics that might be interesting to others who are looking for something more realistic with a touch of slice of life.
As for the rating to be honest I was really hesitating between an 8.5 and a 9 because eventhough I loved this drama and I consider it to be the best drama of 2017 until now and definitely in my top 3 best Chinese modern dramas I was expecting something a little bit different for the second part of the drama but the ending was so satisfying that I decided to go for a 9 and anyway it was such a great show, seriously I already miss all of them, especially Zi Jun.
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Story: All surrounding characters in their mid 30's to early 40's. I love how naturally every plot point occurs in the story. Nothing feel forced it doesn't feel like the writers were adding in a lot of filer. The dialogue is everything and a basic conversation between two chracters is always interesting.
(Fair warning the female character is whiny in the beginning but she gets better I promise.)
Acting. Top notch! A1! Everyone in this cast played their chracters to a T. If you've watched Jin Dong in other dramas you know what kind of chracters he gets type cast as. He lectures and gave me surgeon character feels at some point but his execution of his monologues are always great so it didn't deter me from watching the drama. The chemistry ,not just between the female and male lead, but the entire cast can be felt and I really loved it.
Music: Smooth jazz, loved it.
Rewatch: not unless there is a season 2.
Give this drama a try I promise you will enjoy.
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This review may contain spoilers
This was a wonderful drama. I love it with all my heart. I don't even know how to express my love for this drama!! I'll try to avoid spoilers for this review as much as possible. Story:
This drama has essentially two main arcs. The first is the story of Luo Zi Jun, and how she goes from ignorant, annoying, jobless house-wife to a smarter, employed, and self-improving divorced single-mother. There is a lot of character development for her. What's interesting is that Ma Yi Li in real life also suffered from her husband (actor Wen Zhang) cheating on her with another woman, except she did not divorce her husband as Luo Zi Jun did in the drama. Zi Jun deals with a lot of issues in the drama. I truly grew to love her.
The second main focus is on the portrayal of the cruel realities of the Chinese workplace (especially towards the end of the drama) told in story form. I think both of these story arcs are very important to people as a whole, and you can definitely learn a lot from the plot. The subplots were entertaining as well and there are lots of real-life references and problems that are showed in the drama.
I think the only thing that mainland China fans were slightly annoyed with was with the very blurry and funky/confusing relationship between Luo Zi Jun, He Han and Tang Jing. Some people thought it wasn't great that the the writer made it so that He Han ended up falling in love with his ex-girlfriend's best friend (because I read online that the original novel was not this way???). However, there were clear implications as to why Tang Jing and He Han's relationship wasn't working. But overall, I certainly loved the story and there wasn't a single part in the story that was draggy (maybe...Luo Luo and Manager Zhuo's parts were strange but they had very little parts so it was totally okay and most of their scenes were actually very funny).
Acting/Cast:
ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL. The actors for this drama are all veteran actors with amazing acting skills. EVERY SCENE WAS ACTED WELL. There were so many scenes where the acting was so detailed....I am just in awe and this drama has really made me fall in love with the actors (especially the main two actresses). Even the two kids (especially the actor for Ping'er) were good at their acting!!!!
Music:
Cdramas usually have better OSTs for their historicals but all the instrumental and songs played in this drama fit the scene they were played in. I really love the ending theme song though, super good!!
Rewatch Value:
I have this drama downloaded onto my computer so I will definitely be rewatching this in the future.
Overall:
Awesome, awesome drama!! Highly recommend. Way better than those idol dramas or dramas that have those cheesy, dumb storylines in them. This is now my favorite modern drama of all time.
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This review may contain spoilers
Already in the beginning, scored points, simple opening, mix of dark tones and black and white, as well as a harmonious melody, with a bit of tension and harmony, all ready to captivate the attention of the spectator .. and most importantly no spoilers. This is how the first episode begins ..What you can count on in this drama, changes, evolocoes, maturation, understanding, and above all a mature novel with life stories ..
Our protagonist at first appears to be a spoiled woman, for her husband, the typical housewife, unconcerned. Everything changes with her husband's betrayal and her new start as an independent woman and the struggle to stay the same. save you and your husband.
The second lead. amazing woman with amazing career. but what most heartwarming about her is that she is a loyal friend who will stuck to you through high and low. she's in love with male lead for over 8 years but no intention tying the knots. her heart always has that tiny distrust on the male lead as he was her first mentor in the workplace. unconsciously wedge a barrier between them. they broke up and she left temporarily for better opportunity but entrusted her BFF to male lead which lead them to spark an unwanted feelings.
About male lead start off as human calculator, thinks everything need to be calculate, helping the female lead rebuilt her life step by step and also unknowingly became her knight in shining armor. he's waiting to married second lead for more than 8 years. there a lot distrust and palatable distant if everyone see in closer look. in moment of separation he bonded with female lead and her son, and learn to think such as sacrificial love.
After seeing this drama, never look at my life in the same way ..
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I think we can all learn many things in life by watching this drama. It's mature, considerate, well played by all the actors and actresses. It's not overly done, not cheesy, not stupid, not a waste of our time watching this. Most of us see ourselves in many of the characters in this drama. I love dramas where they show us scenery of a city and in this drama, I saw a beautiful side of Shanghai's everyday life.
One of the best cast characters in this drama - the mother of Luo Zijun - Xu Di as Xue Zhenzhu. Goodness, she played this character really well. I just cannot imagine this drama without her. On her, we can all see how fashionable older Shanghainese people are. Her clothes are so bright! On her, we can see all the good and bad of everyday Shanghainese in her. An absolute gem!
The other character that I find absolutely brilliant is Lei Jiayin as Chen Junsheng. Wow, there aren't so many supporting actors who can show that kind of expressions he did, and he did it mostly without talking, just with his facial expression and his eyes, he showed how helpless and speechless CJS is in many scene because he is sandwiched between so many responsibilities he is carrying.
Don't waste your time reading. Watch the drama now!
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This review may contain spoilers
This drama was very well written and portrayed by the actors. The story good, production - good , music -okay, story line - very good, character development - very good , romance - poor. This was a similar feel to ode to joy where it had depth in each character and different issue like divorce, people in their 30s/40s which is not seen very much(at least from the dramas I have watched). But I have a very huge issue and the down side to this dram which is small compared to the drama overall quality but still have to raise it. There is no kissing , doki doki moments in this romance. Now it could be because of the conservative feel or they are 30s/40s but come on.
SPOLIER
Every time he han and tang jing the "supposed couple" would be in a romantic moment. would they kiss? NO, a peck? NO all they did, i mean to most romantic thing they did was hug. THAT IS ALL. where is moments that make me go "oooooohhhhh" and gasp. answer NOWHERE. I mean they allude to sleeping together but indirectly and in the most g rated unimportant way.
so to make up for this drama. If you have watched this but missed out in those youthful energy, passion of the youth and romance that makes you at the edge of your seat I will also cross reference you to check out. "GO GO SQUID"
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Watch for Jin Dong
I wanted to watch this drama for the longest time but well, time flies and I finally managed to do so!I fell in love with Jin Dong after watching Ode to Joy (both 1 and 2) and told myself that I had to watch The First Half of My Life.
I’m so happy that I did. Jin Dong is superb in this show. He steals hearts, mine included. He’s suave, manly, tall and good looking. Such gorgeous eye candy with excellent acting skills.
Just watch because of him.
To add on, the entire cast acted very well. Great drama to watch. Fairly fast paced. Slice of life drama that throws some nuggets of wisdom for the audience.
Go for it! This is a gem. Ending could have been a lot better though — ps: I’m a sucker for cliched happily ever afters.
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This is a masterpiece
This is a masterpiece but it may not be the type of drama you like. Don’t waste your time if you’re looking for a comedy, thriller, action, mystery, crime, or fantasy series with some romance. You’ll find this too slow and boring. But you’ll enjoy and really appreciate this series if you’re in the mood for a serious drama that focuses on character development, thought-provoking dialogue, and realistic life challenges such as infidelity/divorce, dysfunctional families, and the pressure that long work hours and business competition puts on friends and lovers.The plot is mainly driven by the impact of infidelity and divorce on the life of the female lead (FL), a spoiled and snobbish stay-at-home housewife and mother who is forced to go back into the work force in her mid-30’s. The friends and family who help (and sometimes hinder) her journey of self-discovery and self-reliance are well-rounded and nuanced. There are no real villains or black-and-white characters. The FL is not particularly likeable in the first couple of episodes, whilst her cheating husband is rather sympathetic - a good but weak man, under a lot of pressure from his high-powered job.
The script-writing, acting, and cinematography are superb. The soundtrack/score is based on jazz/blues, which worked really well with the urban and modern business setting of the series. (And I’m not really a jazz/blue fan.)
I only have two niggles: Firstly, I found the FL’s mother too loud/hysterical in many scenes, so I fast-forwarded through some of those in the middle episodes without really losing much of the overall story. Secondly, there is very little kissing/hugging/skinship in this series, but the romance/love is definitely there and plays in important part.
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Beautiful story telling about family and work life
This is a grown up drama about life, marriage, divorce, work, and family. One of the best melodrama I have seen in this category. It is a dated drama, made 3 years ago, not new. However, the acting and the story telling are excellent and really hook you in from the start. The FL character does improve. It was quite annoying at the start. I did not like her attitude but her growth through the whole drama was very well written. Her friendship with her bbf lasted across many trials. Try this drama and you will not regret it.Was this review helpful to you?
Tang Jing is not excepting responsibility to all the games she'd played to get passion from Hehan. She had dragged Hehan into these mess. Their relationship is not a business, Love or Non-Love is not a negotiable contract. She kept saying she'd waited for 10 years, but it had been 10 years of Hehan's life as well. She never trusted Hehan, and holds grudge, wouldn't let it go. Now Tangjing wants to punish her best friend-Zijun for all the games she had done...who is the spoiled child now. Who should get blamed here? She is in her late 30th, an adult, must to take obligation instead of blaming anyone else. She needs to learn to respect the man she so-called "love".
Zijun is the most pretty one inside out, she has no harm to anyone. She is very forgiving person. So she deserves the best after all.
Coming-up 2nd season of it, the ending should be like this:
Hehan and Zijun, two love birds eventually come together for good. TangJing meets the man of her dreams much happier than she ever dreamed of because the passion she was looking for is in the new love but this one does not allow her go her way.
Zijun’s ex-husband’s Junsheng , remember he’d always loved Zijun but her childish ways drove him to Lingling’s arms.....over time, Lingling has proven to be the manipulator as she truly is...that leads eventually their divorce, but Junsheng finally begins to stand up, no fear in him as a man instead of mouse he was. After divorce, he too eventually finds someone new to love, so he grows up, always being Hehan’s friend as well as Zijun's.
Zijun's sister and husband finally grow up and settle down for him to take over the restaurant so Luo Luo can ride off in the sunset with Old Zhun.
Everyone gets what they deserve.
Finally to Chinese crew and producers, please don’t let the audience down when make 2nd season of it. Thanks
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