Flower Blooms in The Mid-summer

花开半夏

Year: 2013-2014

Episodes: 30

Synopsis:

Xia Ru Hua (Li Qin) and her grandmother brought a little boy into their family and they named him Wei Ru Feng (Lin Shen). Years pass and they grow up. The family of three are very poor but are extremely happy because they have each other. Ru Hua is a talented pianist and enrolls in Hai Ping University, renowned for their music program. Ru Feng is a math genius and has a great future ahead of him due to his good grades. However, this all changes when their grandmother is diagnosed with cancer. Ru Feng starts to work multiple part time jobs to provide for his family. Things just do not seem to get better for the family as the grandmother dies and Ru Hua is raped by a delinquent named Ah Fu (Wei Wei). As Ru Feng tries to get revenge for his family, he is blackmailed by a businessman who does shady business named Cheng Hao (Michael Miu). Their once happy life is turned upside down and inside out. To add to all of this, the two siblings, who are not related by blood, fall for each other and Ru Feng is afraid of a romantic relationship due to everyone viewing them as family. However, despite all of this chaos, they believe that as long as they are together, things will improve one day.

Review:

I believe that this drama is extremely underrated. Do beware that this is a pretty tragic drama, so if you are looking for something light, this is not for you. Here are some reasons why I love this drama so much.

Acting:

Honestly, none of their acting was bad. There is no one person that I can nitpick on. I was extremely impressed with Li Qin's acting. She cries a lot in this drama. Every single scene, she so naturally shows the desperation that not everyone can show. This is her third drama and at the time of this drama, she was still considered a rookie. Her acting was outstanding. Also, her other drama with the same male lead was spectacular and I will probably be doing a review on it soon so stay tuned for it. It is called The Watchful Sky and it is about a girl who has to care for her older autistic brother after the death of his mother. That drama is a hidden gem packed with great acting, great plot line, and ninjas chopping onions. If you like this drama, I am sure you will like that one too.

Characters:

I loved how each character was so loving. Though most of them start off selfish, they become loving people who learn to make sacrifices for her loved ones.

Ye Tong (Ma Xiao Can) is a math genius who falls for Ru Feng at first sight. She tries her best to fit her ideal type and is always there for him. She tries to get him out of his slump and teach him alternatives to providing for his family without wasting his talents. Though he never loves her, she is loyal to him and remains a true friend. 

Lu Yuan (Yang Yang) is rich and at first could not comprehend the struggle of the poor. He soon learns that in this many have it very hard and he learns to love and appreciate Ru Hua even more. He vows to give her a nice, peaceful life if she becomes his girlfriend. He makes multiple sacrifices for her and learns to become less selfless through that. 

Cheng Xiu Xiu (Zhang Jia Ni) is a rich, bratty girl who learns to love Ru Feng and is willing to sacrifice anything for him. She goes from being inconsiderate of others to placing his feelings before hers. 

Narration:

Ru Feng narrates parts of the stories and I really like his narrations. They foreshadow the relationships of new characters and Ru Hua and his life. I just think it's a breathe of fresh air. This isn't very common in Mainland Chinese modern day dramas. I see this often in historical dramas but not really in modern day dramas. Correct me if I am wrong.

The Message:

At the end of the day, this drama teaches us that as long as we are with the ones we love, they will give us the power to live on. I think that is beautiful and as cliche as it sounds, sometimes we need to be reminded that materialistic goods are not everything.

SPOILER ALERT, ENDING IS REVEALED:

I actually liked the ending. Though it was a sad ending, it made a lot of sense and was super romantic. Ru Feng's heart got transplanted into Ru Hua. At the end, though Ru Feng dies, Ru Feng will always stay with Ru Hua. I thought this is beautiful.

What I did not like about the drama:

I was not a fan of the whole police and criminal aspect of this drama. I know it plays a part in Ru Feng's backstory but it took away from what I cared about, the romance, music, and family. At times, I enjoyed this aspect of the drama when it increased suspense and it played a part in breaking their relationship but they come out even stronger. However, at other times they quickly transition from the couple onto this boring stuff and totally ruin the vibe that the couple just created. I wish that there was a bit less of the detective scenes.