Recommendation: The Other Half of Me and You

Dear readers,

Today, I want to take you all to a parallel universe!

Do you feel like men and women are treated equally by now? It might seem so in many countries, but there are still a lot of struggles women face every day. The minidrama I want to introduce you today points out those differences in a funny way, giving a commentary to the stereotyped society. 

Not only that: The Other Half of Me and You is a parody and makes fun of certain clichés which are overused in the drama industry. Let me explain a little further:

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Gao Zi Rui (Wayne Liu) is your typical cliché Main Male Lead: He is handsome. He is rich. And he is a total playboy. He works as an airline captain and is, of course, very popular with women.	Xiao Xiao (Daisy Dai) is also your cliché Main Female Lead. She is described as a tender, warm-hearted and silly girl. She works as a secretary at a technology company. Of course, she has a crush on ML.

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And now imagine this: 

Due to an underground laboratory accident, the brainwaves of Gao Zi Rui get transported into a parallel universe, where the typical roles are reversed, and women are supreme to men! (He is the only one from his world. All others are the parallel versions of themselves/original world).

Gao Zi Rui is now not a pilot anymore. He is "just" a flight attendant. The role of the captain is now filled by his ex-girlfriend. There are also many other changes in his life - even in his family.	Xiao Xiao is now „Jacky“ in this universe. She is not a secretary - she is the CEO. She is pretty, rich and attracts all the men around her. Her personality is cool, chill, and smexy.

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Now it's the men who get smacked on the butt in clubs by women. The men shouldn't stay outside late for their own safety.	It's the men who need to fit into the beauty standards of society. Here: having a hairless body and pretty skin.	Men get inferior jobs to women. As now, Gao Zi Rui is not a pilot anymore, but a flight attendant. While Xiaoxiao is now a CEO.

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Even the interior and clothing has changed. This also shows in their personalities. The women hang out in clubs and try to pick up the boys, while the men are expected to live by certain values, be virtuous and coy. Of course, the men need to be good at cooking, and they also should quit their job to take care of the kids. And the women are the ones that initiate physical contact, in contrast to most dramas.

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Some more cliché tropes from dramas are also picked up:

Jacky teaching him billiard.	The famous "arm on shoulder".	Jacky teaching him how to swim.

Zi Rui, who still needs to get used to the new world, decided to continue to pursue Jacky. He applies for a job at her company and tries to get her attention. He also starts to question the inequality, trying to survive in this unfamiliar universe until he finds a way back to his own world.

- to be continued -

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I personally really like the colors in this drama! It's so beautiful:

Of course, I also really enjoy the parallel universe since it's pretty much made in favor of women. Surely we know that it's also the other way around. But most of the time, it's women who were/are at a certain disadvantage throughout history. It's fun seeing the men now struggle with the problems women usually face. I also like how they point out the unfair and disrespectful treatment women receive(d) in certain situations. This drama is pretty much an eye-opener. 

The main story is basically just how Zi Rui handles the new world, and in every single episode, an issue is pointed out which you can think about. It's fun to watch, and I really love how cool Jacky's personality is in this parallel universe. I like her very much here. In most dramas, the protagonists have certain fixed characters: The girls are sweet, cute, and, let's be honest: silly. The men are mostly cold, rich, and domineering. I'm not talking about all dramas, I'm talking about the majority of recent rom-com dramas, mostly Chinese.

The typical roles of men and women are reversed in this parallel universe. The drama makes fun of clichés and with that points out society's ridiculous standards of the given roles for men and women. It's very interesting since the different treatment is shown on point. The acting is definitely exaggerated at some parts, but it has a clear message.

After so many cliché dramas, it's finally time to see the tables turned. ;) 

I recommend this minidrama to everyone. Give it a try!

© Credits: I don't own any pictures. They are screenshots from the actual drama on YoYo English Channel on YT. Some might be edited for better fitting. Credits to the respective owners. (Youku, YoYo).

^{Edited by: devitto (1st editor), YW (2nd editor)}