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Too short to be great, competent enough to be good
If I had to describe The Fragrance Of The First Flower in one sentence I would call it a great show trapped in a good show.Words cannot describe how excited I was when I discovered this drama, I think that usually, Taiwan tackles LGBT+ subjects in its media in a very tasteful and impactful manner and on every level, from looks to premise, The Fragrance Of The First Flower looked like it was going to fill the GL-shaped void in my life. Needless to say, that I was gutted when I discovered that each of the only 6 episodes was going to be barely 18 minutes long. Still, I decided to give this drama a fair chance, even though I had the sneaking suspicion that that short runtime wouldn’t be enough to tell this story. And I’m afraid I was correct.
The Fragrance Of The First Flower is a beautiful portrayal of right person- wrong time. The show’s strength without a doubt lies in its gorgeous cinematography and especially in the colour grading. Every shot had purpose while still being aesthetically pleasing and I really feel like the colours dictated the mood and feel of each scene. Some people have pointed out that the actresses look way too old to play their teenage selves and I will have to agree but I still appreciated bot of the leads’ acting. I’ve also seen people complain about the lack of chemistry between them, but that is a sentiment I cannot agree with. I was fully immersed in the relationship between the two characters. There was a lot of subtlety in their performances which I feel like can be traced back to the subtlety of the script and plot. It was very fitting, in my opinion, that the thing that killed the relationship of the two protagonists in high school before it even began, the thing that triggered Yi Mins internalized homophobia, was the painful reminder of the inherent sexualization that comes with being a young woman. The scene in which the two leads almost kiss for the first time until they are interrupted by a pervert was the one that left the biggest impression on me in the whole show. I think it was a brilliant and subtle way of addressing how lesbians are viewed under the male gaze and how their sexualization makes it harder for young queer women to find themselves.
I also think the scene in which Yi Min finally confesses to her husband that she has fallen for someone else is a really strong one. She is desperately looking for another reason to break up with him because on a surface level, she should be happy. Her husband is not a bad man and she has everything she wanted in her teenage years, the house, family, and the role of a wife. Yi Min is looking for something wrong in their relationship so she doesn’t have to address what is really keeping her from being content.
Still, as I mentioned before, The Fragrance Of The First Flower ended up not fully living up to its potential and I really do feel like its main fault lies in the infuriatingly short runtime. In no way is this drama flawless but in my honest opinion most of its problems could have been addressed, if the show just had a few more episodes, or at least longer ones. Everything felt just slightly underdeveloped and it’s such a shame because all the ingredients to make this really special were there. But you just really need that time to develop a believable relationship between two people and unfortunately, time is the one thing this drama didn’t have and that might be the reason the ending fell completely flat for me.
Admittedly, I am a little salty. The BL fandom practically gets content shoved down their throat (eventhough most of said content to be fair, is not great) while I have to look for ages to find half-decent WLW representation. I just kinda had held on to the hope that this drama would be the one to kick off the success of the GL genre, and I doubt it will. But then again, I fully realize that what I am asking for is the same fetishization that gay men have to deal with, so maybe I should just be happy with what I get.
In the end, I feel like The Fragrance Of The First Flower did its best with what little it had. I have certainly seen way worse and at least I can confidently say that this was an earnest attempt at believable, well-meant representation. I have no problem recommending this show to other people who are also starved for WLW-content. The short runtime might have been what killed this drama but at least this way it doesn’t feel like a big commitment.
I will do my best to be optimistic about the future of GL and I’m sure that dramas like this one pave the way to better WLW representation.
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Beautiful but very real
The whole season gave a very beautiful and captivating feel.My lower rating is because I felt like a 3rd person trying to understand their story but it's hard because I'm not them. I just got the feeling like it's somebody trying to tell me their story but they don't know how to fully get me into their point of view. They aren't able to completely let me stand in their place to understand what they are feeling in those moments. It didn't draw me into the story. It was more like somebody was telling me a story but they were having a hard time finding their words and having trouble putting together a picture for me to really get what was taking place. It's like I'm prying into their feelings and life but I'm only getting the bare minimum to understand them and their story. The whole thing isn't confusing or anything, but I'm more of describing the vibe the show was giving off to me.
The story is a sad one. But, it gives off a very beautiful romantic feeling that captivated me to keep watching when I had mixed feelings about this show.
I wouldn't say that I loved it, but it wasn't horribly done.
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Finding The Strength To Be Different
Let me say that I’m not a fan of the storyline, but because this is from Taiwan and the team/platform behind the project, I’m choosing to believe they mean well with the story.Characters
Personally for me, this is where the film shines -- its characters and the actresses who brought them to life.
Yi-Ming
We have Yi-Ming who grew up being the “apple” of her parents’ eyes. Basically, she is the model daughter that any Asian parent would be proud to have. Unfortunately, accepting and carrying on that role is also her downfall. She believes everything she was taught to believe without question even in the face of an opposing reality. Once you understand this, her actions for the rest of the film will make a lot of sense to you and maybe hate her a little less. Not to defend her actions or say they are right of course.
Ting-Ting
Then we have the seemingly carefree Ting-Ting who unlike Yi-Ming, doesn’t seem to live up to anyone’s expectations but her own. A little more brave. A little more open to following her heart and what makes her happy despite society telling her otherwise. We don’t find out until some time later that Ting-Ting has been living with her own struggles of self-acceptance. When I found out, that made my heart break for her and Yi-Ming on some deep level I didn’t know I had.
Lessons From The Film
If Yi-Ming and Ting-Ting has taught me anything is that being different is what makes you who you are and sometimes being who you are can be difficult in a society that tells you that who you are is wrong, abnormal, a sin. And when you go against yourself to conform to the way society wants you to be, then you might end up going down self-destructive paths unless you learn to accept and embrace yourself.
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Ambas protagonistas son magníficas interpretando sus versiones adultas y adolescentes. Más allá de conseguir una apariencia juvenil, hay un contraste muy creíble en las personalidades de antes y después.
Toda la trama tiene un tinte de pesadumbre. Se trata de poner en la balanza qué es mejor, hacer caso a tus deseos y verdaderos sentimientos o continuar una vida estable y socialmente aceptable.
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Final aberto? É sério?
Sabe aquele drama que dói, pq a gente sabe que a ficção está literalmente imitando a vida real? Esse é um deles.Achei que a quantidade de EPS foi pouca, o final é aberto, impossível dizer se elas ficam juntas ou não, eu odiei isso até saber que uma segunda temporada está chegando ainda esse ano (2023).
O drama é bem psicológico, e se vc é alguém que não gosta muito de pensar, problematizar, usar o censo crítico, talvez não goste. Existem vários flash backs que vão nos mostrando como surgiu a relação das meninas, e também como acabou. Vi algumas críticas sobre a Yi Min ter traído o marido, mas desde o primeiro EP é perceptível que o casamento já está fadado ao fim. Sobre o fato de Ting Ting ter mentido para Yi Min e traído o namorado, levando a uma série de fatos que desencadearam no divórcio de Yi Min, eu passo pano pra ela. Ela estava disposta a lutar contra tudo durante a escola, foi ela que foi abandonada, foi ela que conviveu com a dor de ser rejeitada pelo seu amor por causa do medo que o preconceito da sociedade impôs e sofreu sozinha enquanto a outra reconstruída sua vida, mesmo sendo de fachada. Acredito que ela estava esperando uma certeza absoluta para não sofrer tudo de novo, mas enfim, que a segunda temporada nos explique.
A atuação é impecável, a ost é uma das melhores que já vi, e todos os detalhes técnicos são dignos de aplausos. Indico e com certeza a segunda temporada já está na minha lista de espera.
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