At this point, I am unintentionally starting a series reviewing C-dramas. I coined this summer my “Chinese Drama Summer” because it’s become a hobby of mine. In my previous blog post I talked about A Beginners Chinese Drama recommendation list (link). I would highly recommend reading that one as well if you are new to the Chinese drama world and want to also join the conversations.
RATING
My overall score for the drama The Early Spring is 9.5/10 and the only reason it was not a 10/10 was because it was too short. Originally, it was supposed to be 32 episodes and was cut into 24 episodes.
SYNOPSIS:
The show was adapted from the book The Early Spring or Zao Chun Qing Lang by Gu Niang Bie Ku. It follows the love story of Flora/Shang Zhitao who is a young 22 year old graduate and moves to Beijing to follow her career goals. The first episode pans her going through a job interview at LIME, an advertising agency. She is on a video call with Luke/ Luan Nian who dismisses her right away before she even has the chance to talk during her interview. He doesn’t believe that she is good enough for the job. She ends up getting hired but is on a trial period, throughout the first four episodes he tells her that she is not good enough and that she should quit. She on the other hand is a fighter and refuses to give up, she is eager to learn and as the episodes progress you notice Luke softening up to her. He notices her diligence and her strong work ethic. They begin a secret romance between boss and employee. Both are complex characters and flawed characters which makes it a more compelling story.
This story line spans for 6 years of their relationship in Beijing and then she moves back home after their breakup to rebuild her life. In the end, they end up with their own happily ever after.
I want to read the book because many who have read it say that the characters and some of the plots in the story line were not in the series. Luan Nian has been softened for the series to make him more appealing to the audience. I was also curious about what they had cut off and in the book they have a daughter and we see a little about how these two characters continue to evolve even as parents.
The audience connected so well to this story because it felt realistic. The actors did a phenomenal job portraying the various emotions of love, betrayal, and being hurt. It is not just one character who is a green flag saving the day, but rather two imperfect human beings navigating modern love.
It does deal with some heavy topics like suicide, but I felt like the series did an exceptional job at not brushing over it. Rather, they really honored the character for the majority of the episode and highlighted how much of a bright and warm person he was to those who cared about him. I CRIED my eyes out during those scenes. They felt so raw and real.
Overall, the actors did a great job portraying these complex emotions and they really help you dive into their world.
THE ACTORS
Sun Qian
I immediately had to follow her on social media. She is a model-esk statue beauty. She used to be a ballerina dancer for 7 years before pursuing acting. Fun fact, she is from Harbin, the same place where the character in the story Shang Zhitao is from. She also has a senior chocolate brown Doxy, which is so cute!
Boran Jing
He is 37 years old and has been in the industry for a while. He is very handsome and his puppy eyes are what made this series explode. Besides gaslighting Flora and us the audience he wowed us with his sophisticated looks. Fun Fact, he brought a lot of Lukes clothing to set and his home furniture since the show was on a tight budget. Talk about commitment.
FAVORITE CHARACTERS
A pattern that I have noticed while watching C-dramas is that the side stories are just as interesting as the main characters. Which is why I have been enjoying C-dramas more than western tv-shows. For western tv-shows the side characters are usually not as developed, they are mostly there to support the main characters story line, but in C-dramas and also many K-dramas they really have strong characters.
Some of my favorite for this series were
LUMI
She often becomes what we wanted Luke to be with Flora in some scenes. She is a mentor, a friend, and ride or die. She comforts Flora after there was a harassment incident or when a real estate agent hurts Flora she contacts her friends to give them a lesson. We need more of Lumi’s older sister in our lives.
TRACY
She is HR and the one that sees Floras potential. She is the reason Flora made it into LIME in the first place. The speech she gave when Flora and the other women of LIME were assaulted felt like she really cared for the company and the women feeling safe and valued. Tracy is someone who makes it up and opens the door for other women to follow.
SUN YUANCHU
He loved unconditionally. To Flora her family in Beijing had become her roommates. He was interested in Flora but was respectful and never told her how he felt because Flora was in love with Luke. He sent her flowers for a whole week and did not take credit for it. He wanted the best for her, even if it was not with him. He was dealing with his own family problems and yet he loved those around him.
SUN YU
She became Flora’s confidant and the person she can talk to. Even though she is in love with Sun Yuanchu and she realizes that he is in love with Flora she never holds it against her.
TAN MIAN
Luke’s best friend is hilarious and a voice of reason. One of my favorite lines he says, “I told you to water the plant, not to drown it with boiling hot water” there are many instances where he helps Luke see his mistakes.
COMMUNITY
I had never watched a show in real time with others and Netflix was releasing 1 episode a day. I would go to TikTok or Instagram to see what others were saying. It felt like watching it with friends and we could cry, laugh, and kick our feet when something was happening. It was amazing to have a conversation with like minded people or even talk about things we didn’t agree with in the story. There are many creators that I started following because they posted about the series and we were all just as invested in the story.
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
Overall, It was an amazing show. I have so many exciting ones that I am looking forward to in October.
Did you watch The Early Spring? if so, what was your favorite episode or scene?
Shows I’m excited to watch next:
The Lament of Autumn
Where The Mask Ends
